Summer Girl
by bellalou5
Summary: Percy is sent to live with his cousins in the sweltering farmland of Arkansas after a small altercation with his stepfather. Off the bat, he knows he's in for one hell of a summer, and it only becomes worse once the neighbor's angry daughter gets involved. :: Rating is T/M
1. I Will Learn to Love the Skies I'm Under

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or the song Summer Girl. All rights go to those deserving.**

**Chapter I: I Will Learn to Love the Skies I'm Under**

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**PERCY**

Percy really hated airplanes.

The woman who sat next to him watched warily as his leg bounced up and down, slowly backing away in hopes to avoid the spew that was sure to come. He groaned while he held his flipping stomach.

_Deep breaths_, he reminded himself as the ground came closer into view. The window was lined with dust and dirt. He could barely see anything in the grimy glass, but what he could make out was a blur of vast, green landscape. His hands started sweating and dread gripped at him like a flames licking dry wood, because he was seriously worried at how much flat space he was seeing out there.

Manhattan had a skyline. Apartments buildings, alleyways, skyscrapers. There were people and crowds, sidewalks and concrete. The things he grew up with. But as the airplane descended from the sky into a small, rundown airport, (which looked more like a crop-duster barn) Percy got a good look at his temporary home.

At least he hoped it was temporary. He wanted to be back in New York already.

Arkansas was spacious, he'd give it that. Towering pine trees broke out of the tall mountains far in the distance. Wide blue sky spread along the expanse of land, contrasting with the pale green grass of rolling hills.

There weren't many people on the plane with him. From what he could tell, there was an elderly couple behind him who snored very loudly, a woman to his left who was paranoid that Percy might get sick on her (as she should have been), and a family of four about two seats ahead of him.

He could understand why there weren't many people boarding this trip into Arkansas. Who would willingly want to come to the countryside? The town looked like it might have been formed by farmers and cow herders.

When the flight attendants finally called the okay to start getting off, Percy might have been the first one standing up. Shooting out of his seat, he let out a shaky breath as he quickly grabbed his backpack and pushed through the slow moving people toward the doors.

Percy could admit he was less than excited about his move to the southern US. As a born and raised New Yorker, the very thought of all this farmland made him feel nauseous. There was no way for him to turn his luck around. As much as he wanted to book it back to Manhattan, his mother would never allow that.

See, there was a bit of a misunderstanding between his stepfather and himself. Percy had never liked Gabe. The man was volatile and hot-tempered, but most of the time he was able to keep his distaste for the stinky guy under control.

Percy never meant to sucker punch his stepfather in the face.

If he had known the punishment resulting from the small slip of control beforehand, he probably would have been kissing Gabe's hairy toes in submission.

But he hadn't known. No one in a million years could have convinced him that his own mother would ship him off to what he considered the anus of America. To live with his aunt and cousins.

Sally had always taken his side in the past. That was why it came as a shock when she told him he had to leave. She had said something about it being safer, the distance being good for them. Gabe and himself had needed some time apart or whatever. Percy really hadn't been listening on account of the fact that his mom had said he was leaving to Arkansas and he couldn't even spell that word in his head.

There was an unspoken rule in the Jackson home that made it pretty clear no one was supposed to talk about Percy's biological father. He wasn't sure of the whole story about the man, but he had an idea. His dad walked out on their family after just one summer, and Sally had been heart broken. The topic was sensitive, and most of the time, they all had enough tact to leave it alone.

That might have been why Percy snapped when Gabe made a wisecrack about his dad. Thinking back on it now, it hadn't been worth the trouble of picking up and leaving his home. Especially for a man whose honor wasn't worth defending in the first place. Though Percy could say finally landing a fist on his stepfather's nose felt kind of good.

He sighed as he made his way onto solid ground, trailing the path into the dusty old station. The air inside the airport was warm and stuffy, not at all refreshing like it should have been. New York felt like it was getting farther and farther away it seemed.

Many people stood around with wide grins, their eyes jumping over all the faces and searching for their loved ones. Percy frowned as he squinted his eyes against the throngs of people that all looked the same to him. Soon he caught sight of a middle-aged woman with light blonde hair. She was smiling, her arms spread out in front of her with her eyesight trained on the teenager himself, waiting for a hug.

Letting a small smile spread across his lips, he approached the woman, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "Hey, Aunt May."

"Percy! So good to see you, dear," she greeted warmly, her hand around his back coming up to ruffle his unruly black hair.

A boy who stood to the side stepped up as Aunt May pulled back. Percy blinked at the teenager, almost turning away for not knowing him, before gasping in recognition. "Jason?"

The blond boy grinned, the little scar that danced above his lip was a dead giveaway. "Percy, man, it's been years." He stepped forward, shaking his cousin's hand and pulling him into a hug.

As much as Percy hated the countryside – which was a lot – he really did love his family. They were good, well-rounded people, and he could respect them for that. However, any other southern hick in this town better had known not to mess with him. He just wasn't in the mood to deal with the abundance of rednecks he would soon become acquainted with.

"How've you been?" Jason asked, clapping him on the shoulder. Surprisingly, he had to suppress a wince at the action, stiffening his face like he hadn't felt that hit down to the bone. He had almost forgotten all these southern kids had grown up hauling hay and driving tractors. Surely, any one of them could tear Percy apart with their bare hands, including his darling cousin.

Percy nodded. "Good." Then he blinked, shaking his head and deciding to tell the truth. "Actually, not good. I punched my stepfather and now I'm living in Arkansas. No offense, but this is very much a punishment. I am not good at all."

Aunt May and Jason shared a look, raising their eyebrows. "It's not that bad here," Jason convinced, hefting one of Percy's suitcases off the rickety luggage claim. "You'll forget about New York in no time."

"I highly doubt that," Percy disagreed while he tightened his grip on his backpack. The scalding air was getting to him. Strands of hair were matting to the damp skin on the nape of his neck. His fingers came up to pull the collar of his shirt away from his heated skin, hopelessly trying to fan himself.

His aunt sighed, ushering the two boys toward the dirt road parking lot. The sun was uncomfortably bright on his face, beaming down in what was sure to give him a tan deep enough to change his race. One good thing that would come out of this was that Rachel would love his new color.

Rachel was his girlfriend.

Well, ex-girlfriend.

After they learned he was being shipped off for a whole summer, they decided they'd end it until he came back. It wasn't set in stone that they _would_ get back together, but Percy knew Rachel. She couldn't resist him – especially when his Greek heritage allowed him to tan so well without burning.

They weren't anything too serious. Since the ninth grade, they'd been the best of friends. They'd met at a senior party, mutually hiding behind a ficus plant in the corner of the room while their boredom led them to people-watching. The two had talked as they avoided the crowds of teenage horn-dogs.

Percy had asked her out only a few weeks ago, finally having given into his curiosity. He wanted to know what it would be like to date his pretty best friend with the bright red hair and colorful personality.

She said yes, so he didn't regret it.

They had just been getting used to things as a couple when Percy had to leave. It wasn't a big deal to either of them, being that they weren't "in love" or "totally inseparable." It was okay. Percy wouldn't be too messed up if they never did end up getting back together romantically.

Maybe they would see how things turned out once he came back. For the time they had, they'd given it a good run. She was fun.

Out in the parking lot, Percy could make out four cars. Okay, one car. And three pick-up trucks.

This place was going to take some getting used to.

Aunt May jingled her car keys in hand as she made her way to a baby blue rust bucket of a truck. The windows were down, as if they didn't need to worry about being robbed. He groaned as he realized they _didn't_.

New York was too far away.

After Jason loaded his belongings into the trunk, they were off to Percy's new home. Driving in this town was definitely weird. The roads were narrow and winding, not even having two lanes of traffic. Warm air shot into the car from the open windows, the air conditioner apparently having broken back in '93.

_Deep breaths_, he reminded himself.

When they finally made the turn onto a long, gravel driveway, Percy spent a good five minutes sitting in the truck and gawking at the land around him. Grassy hills spread out for what looked like miles around. In the distance, he could see woods with tall trees separating them from the downtown part of the city. This definitely was the countryside.

The Grace house had two stories and an attic. The horizontal wood panel siding was colored a dingy yellow with a wraparound porch coated in chipping white paint. Mud caked shoes sat in front of the screen door, propped open by a white and red cooler.

A ways off to the side, he could make out only one other house in sight. There was a tiny white home about a football field's length away from the edge of the rocky driveway. Wooden fences seemed to spread forever, boxing off their blocks of land. A man stood on the porch and he sent over a wave.

"Hello, Mr. Chase!" Jason called, throwing back the friendly gesture.

Aunt May smiled, pinching her son's cheek as she pulled Percy's bags from the trunk. "Oh, I can get those," Percy told her, stepping up and flinging his arms out, ready to catch any of the stuff she might drop.

The woman only chuckled. "I'm not helpless, boy. Something you should learn about women: most of us aren't as incapable as you think."

Shrugging, Percy backed up, letting her take his things. The strap of his backpack was heavy against his shoulder as he adjusted the piece, following his aunt up the creaky porch steps and into the house.

It had two rocking chairs in the front, but off to the corner of the wraparound porch, there was a loveseat swing, floral throw pillows tossed carelessly on top. As soon as Percy walked through the front door, he knew he was screwed this summer.

Not only did the sun seem to be a thousand times more powerful here, the place didn't have air conditioning. Ceiling fans lazily spun from the air, and there were about three strategically placed Lasko floor fans spread along the house. The old carpet smelled of cat pee and cigar smoke, some parts of it directly under the windows were bleached a lighter color from the exposure to sunlight.

Aunt May lead him up the stairs into a narrow hallway with old wooden doors. One was left open, and inside he could see light pink walls, marred by ripped wallpaper and heavy metal posters.

_Thalia_. He smiled a little as he remembered the last time he'd seen his cousin. When the Grace's visited New York and the family all went to the beach together. She had made fun of him for getting sea grass tangled into his hair, but he'd thrown a pinecone at her face in return, so it turned out okay.

At the end of the hall, his aunt swung open a door, the wood squeaking in protest. A little, office-like room was revealed. Percy shuffled in, dropping his bags onto the floor. There was a twin sized bed pushed into the corner, striped cotton sheets wrapped tightly around the mattress, and very little walking space.

"It's not much, but we didn't really have a guest room," she explained, spreading her hands and gesturing to the makeshift bedroom.

"No, it's fine," Percy reassured her. Mattress springs gave off a high pitched creak as he sat on it. "It's...comfy."

She smiled like she appreciated his effort, ruffling his hair again. "I've got a pot roast to cook, so I'll leave you to unpack." She closed the door behind her as she walked out.

From a window behind him, he could hear the sounds of gravel crunching beneath tires. Jason backed the truck out of the driveway in a three point turn, dirt and dust clouding behind his wheels as he sped out. Percy wondered where the kid was going, but didn't pay much mind to it as he shoved the glass closed.

The room was hot, and the walls were covered with peeling wallpaper. There was a dresser to the side of the small room, cluttered on top with useless objects and trinkets. One thing he would come to appreciate about this room would be it's location. It was off the end of the hall, providing enough privacy for Percy to be comfortable crying himself to sleep at night.

Over the next twenty minutes, he'd unpacked his bags, not bothering to fold his clothes as he shoved them in the drawers of his dresser. His deodorant and razors were tossed on top, not having been shown the bathroom yet. He wondered who he would have to share with.

Now, Percy wasn't rich at home. Not by far. But being an only child did have its perks. One being that Percy didn't have to share. He had his own bedroom and bathroom and he didn't have to worry about Gabe stinking up the place with his stale beer and empty cigarette cartons.

Percy knew living in this small town would be an experience like he'd never known. Although his mom thought it would be good for him, he didn't know how that could possibly be. All he was thinking was that he'd have to go _in town_ to send a text message.

His thoughts were disturbed as he heard his aunt call up the stairs. "Dinner!" Sighing, Percy got up from his bed, his knees cracking as he stretched them out. A new scent pervaded the home, one that actually wasn't repulsive. Homecooked dinner smelled like warm ground herbs and buttery biscuits.

Licking his lips, he made his way down the stairs and into the dining room. The house was certainly bigger than his New York apartment, but by any standards, it didn't exactly surpass his old home. Even if his flat was small and Gabe offered a pretty bad smell, he'd take that any day over this – due to the fact that the apartment was in Manhattan. Not this _population-of-about-seven_ town.

Aunt May had set up a full dinner on her dining room table. He could see bowls filled with mashed potatoes, green beans, and a plate full of sliced pot roast. Golden baked biscuits laid in a cloth covered wicker basket in the center. The woman was pouring lemonade into a few mismatched glass cups from a pitcher.

"Take a seat, Percy," his aunt told him as she pulled out her own chair. Percy heard the engine of the truck pull into the driveway again and he wondered if Jason had some kind of psychic power to know exactly when his mom would be done cooking dinner, because the boy's timing was simply impeccable.

The sounds of teenage laughter echoed from the front porch. Percy's eyebrows scrunched as he saw Jason and two other girls walk in through the front door. "Mmm," Jason moaned loudly, earning a shove from one of the girls. "Smells great, Ma!"

As they walked into the room, Percy got a good look at the people. One girl was tall, spiky black hair sticking out from the top of her head. Little freckles that were splayed across her nose danced as she wrinkled it at the sight of him. "Ew. Cousin's here."

Percy rolled his eyes, but offered a laugh as Thalia approached him, wrapping him into a hug. "'Sup, Kelp Head."

"Same old, same old, Pinecone Face," he responded, one of his fists flying into her hair for a noogie. "Missed you."

"Jackson, you 'lil asswipe!" She tore away from him, punching him hard in the gut. He was briefly reminded about farmer kid's strength again, whimpering as he keeled over in pain. "I thought I missed you, too. But now, I've changed my mind."

"Thalia, you best watch your mouth," her mother chastised, wagging her fork at her from the dining table.

In the midst of all the chaos, Percy had forgotten about the second girl. Last time he checked, he didn't have another cousin, so he wasn't sure who she was.

The quirky girl had that southern look to her. Frizzy blonde curls fanned out over deeply tanned shoulders. She was sort of short, standing next to Jason like that. Not thick, but curvy. There wasn't a visible gap between her denim shorts clad thighs, but at the same time, her legs looked strong enough to run a mile without stopping.

Though, her eyes were freaky.

Gray, the stone cold color contrasted severely against her more or less warm complexion. She wore no make up on her face, only a natural blush dusting her cheeks from the heat of the day and laughter with her friends. Percy wasn't used to girls not wearing make up. He scrunched his nose, confused at why she _wouldn't_.

The girl smiled when Jason leaned down and whispered something in her ear, turning back and shoving him in the gut. Percy figured she must have been his girlfriend or something.

Jason plopped down at a chair by the table, beginning to fill his plate with food. "So hungry," he muttered.

The strange blonde girl rolled her eyes, taking a seat next to Thalia on the other side of the table, across from where Percy had seated himself. "You're always hungry, Jase." Her voice had an accent, it was subtle, just a slight twang to the way she formed her words.

Making eye contact with her from across the stacks of food displayed in front of them, Percy had to force himself not to look away. He was trying not to cringe away from the girl's scary gaze as Thalia introduced them. "Percy, this is our friend, Annabeth. She lives next door."

"Best friend," Jason corrected, stuffing a fork full of potatoes into his mouth. "We've all been close since we were kids."

Percy nodded at the girl in greeting, and she waved a little. "Hi. I heard you were moving in for the summer."

"Yeah," Percy sighed, grabbing his cup and swishing the liquid around before taking a sip. He grimaced and placed it back down, forgetting he didn't even like lemonade. "I guess so."

Annabeth arched a blonde eyebrow. "Don't seem too excited about it," she pointed out.

"I'm not," Percy said bluntly, leaning back in his seat. "I don't wanna be here at all."

Thalia chuckled under her breath. "Here we go," she breathed in amusement, sitting back like she was about to watch something good on TV.

"Yeah?" Annabeth questioned, narrowing her creepy eyes by a fraction of an inch. "Is there something wrong with this place?"

Percy's forehead crinkled in confusion. "Are you kidding? It sucks. This hick town doesn't even have a Walmart." He wondered how she didn't know that.

The girl scoffed indignantly, crossing her arms over her chest. "So, what? We need a Walmart to be civilized like you city folk? That is such typical ignorance I'd expect from a yankee."

"Whoa there," Percy defended coolly, raising his hands in a placating gesture, but not doing anything to bite back his last statement. "Chill out, little girl."

"Percy, you're about to get a foot stuck where the sun don't shine," Jason laughed as he clapped his cousin on the back. Annabeth rolled her eyes before sending him a glare that admittedly had a shiver running down his back.

"Whatever," he muttered, secretly intimidated by the nerdy, short-tempered brat in front of him.

"Awkward," Thalia sing-songed, chuckling like she was used to her friend's ways.

Percy ignored the girl for the rest of dinner. She did the same.

Once the girls stood up to clear their plates, Annabeth passed by him, offering a distasteful look as she said, "It's been a pleasure to meet you." By no means was Percy under the impression that this girl actually enjoyed making his acquaintance.

With the same false sense of politeness, Percy responded, "Likewise."

"Are you headed home, sweetheart?" Aunt May asked, standing up from her seat and apparently not sensing the oncoming feud between the two. "Here let fix you some leftovers."

"Thank you, ma'am." Her smile was sugar sweet, cheeks lifting up to reveal little dimples.

"I'll walk you home," Jason offered, getting up from his seat and dabbing at his face with a napkin.

Annabeth shook her head. "S'okay, Jase. I'll see y'all tomorrow morning, alright?" Turning to Thalia, she gave her a hug before walking into the kitchen to retrieve her doggy bag.

He heard the screen door swing shut a few minutes later and looked up to see his cousins staring at him. "What?" he asked, biscuit crumbs falling out of his mouth.

"Nothing." Jason shook his head like Percy was a lost cause.

"Seriously, what?"

Thalia punched him in the shoulder as she turned to walk out of the room. "Welcome to your home for the next three months. Maybe try a little respect?"

"What'd I do?" Percy asked, confused as Jason sighed and got up too.

"You know, you can't be choosy around here. Annabeth's the only teenager for at least six miles. If you go fighting with every new person you meet, you'll end up pretty lonely in this town."

Percy scoffed. "I'm not here to make friends, guys. Especially with redneck teenagers. I plan on serving my time in this punishment, and getting back to New York as soon as possible."

His cousins rolled their eyes, Thalia scowling at him. "That's no way to go about the situation. You might as well _try_ to be happy here."

Blinking slowly, Percy just nodded to get her off his back. The punk huffed, leaving the room.

"Girls," Percy muttered frustratedly. He'd successfully pissed off two of them in one night. "How do you even put up with them?"

"Well," Jason started, heaving a breath. "One of them is my sister. And the other one is Thalia."

Percy would admit he let out a laugh at that one. Jason chuckled, "But seriously. I love them both. They mean the world to me."

"You're not dating Annabeth?" he asked skeptically. "You guys look pretty close."

The blond boy shook his head. "Annabeth means a lot to me, but I don't think of her that way. She's one of my best friends."

"Is that, like, code for something? Friends with benefits or whatever?"

"No, Percy." His cousin was looking at him like he was crazy. "Why would it be code for something? I said what I meant. Y'all city kids sure make things complicated."

Percy's eyebrows pulled together again. "She just didn't seem like that much fun to be around."

Jason pursed his lips. "Annabeth could start an argument in an empty house. She's stubborn and passionate. But that's just who she is."

"Whatever," he mumbled, picking up his plate and bringing it to the kitchen. Aunt May stood in front of the sink, washing each dish by hand. No dishwasher. He really should have been expecting this stuff by now.

Night had fallen, and had thankfully brought a cooler breeze throughout the house. All the windows and doors were left open, which was such a difference from New York. He could never imagine going to sleep with his door left open to any old straggler or passer-by.

But that was how it was here. That night, they went to bed completely trusting that they were perfectly safe in their home.

At this point, Percy was keeping count of the things he'd just have to get used to.

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**Hopeless Wanderer – Mumford and Sons (chapter name creds)**

**This is only long because it's the first chapter. From here on out, they'll be somewhere over 2000 words. And I promise this is a Percabeth story. It's going to be a process.**

**And I know I wasn't supposed to upload this until we got closer to the end of Fate Fell Short, but guys, it's Percy's birthday and anniversary with Annabeth. I had to.**

**Updating will be a little spacey until I finish FFS.**

**Hope you enjoyed!**

**Bella**

**(Summer Girl is by Family of the Year, and you should definitely listen to it, because it feels like eating glass but in a good way.)**


	2. Forever in Debt to Your Priceless Advice

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or the song Summer Girl. All rights go to those deserving.**

**Chapter II: Forever in Debt to Your Priceless Advice**

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**PERCY**

The loud grind of an engine woke him up.

A scowl fitted itself onto his sleep-stiffened face as he lifted himself up, glancing out of his small bedroom window. It was barely even morning yet. The sun was still floating just beneath the line of trees in the distance. Up above was still a dark blue.

Below caught his attention once again, and he moved his eyesight to see his cousin hop onto a tractor, kicking it into gear before driving into the fields. Percy groaned, flopping back onto his creaky mattress and throwing a pillow over his head.

This was not the way he wanted to wake up for the next three months.

Rolling over onto his side, he curled the fabric of the pillowcase over his ears, hoping to drown out the noise of living in the country and getting at least a few more centuries of sleep. But then from downstairs, the sound of the coffee maker started wailing, and he heard footsteps clacking on the stairs. He wouldn't be getting any extra sleep.

The smell of breakfast cooking was enough to motivate him out of bed. He wandered into the hallway and figured he needed to focus on finding a bathroom. Or an outhouse. Wherever they expected him to pee.

Across from Thalia's room, he was able to find a small bathroom with a claw foot tub and white lace curtains draped over a tiny little window. Sweeping them to the side, he could still see Jason riding along the fields while he cut the grass.

Percy took a quick shower, almost sighing at the feel of the warm water stimulating his tired skin. He used the soap that was already in there and assumed it was Thalia's, because he came out smelling like apples. When he was finished, he wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped in front of the mirror, wiping off a circle from the condensation so he could see himself properly.

His razor glided easily across the skin of his face, removing the scratchy stubble that had started to grow in there. He heard gentle footsteps tapping against the stairs again as he walked out of the bathroom, bringing a cloud of steam along with him.

Tightening the towel around his waist, he started to head down the hallway to his bedroom before he ran into somebody. Literally.

Not paying attention, he felt something smack into his bare chest and he heard a thud as that person hit the ground. Squinting, he was able to make out a familiar head of frizzy hair, and he almost smirked at the sight of the neighbor's daughter sprawled on the floor. He didn't help her up, seeing as how he'd probably lose his towel if he did that, so he just chuckled quietly as the girl looked up at him, her eyes widening and her cheeks dusting pink.

Of course the little girl was a prude. He'd expect nothing less from a nerdy old southern girl.

"Watch where you're going," he told her, trying to step past her form on the floor. She looked pissed when he didn't even bother helping her up – or apologizing, but Percy just found it amusing.

"That was your fault!" Annabeth protested as she clambered up, scowling at him. "I see chivalry doesn't thrive in the ghettos of New York, you impudent swine."

Percy frowned, not sure what she had just said to him. He settled for a cocky look that told her he didn't care _what_ she was saying anyway. "What are you even doing up here?"

The blonde rolled her eyes. And Percy was once again reminded of that eerie color. Like a New York thunderstorm, dark clouds and lightning dancing above his head the way they did in her disapproving glare. "Not that it's any of your business, but I was going to wake up Thalia. We have to go-"

"Yeah, I don't care actually," Percy interrupted, shaking his head and continuing on to his room. "Nice catching up, though. Next time you feel like touching, just ask! I'm a teenage boy, my standards aren't _that_ high."

And maybe he thought he was about to get that kick Jason was talking about yesterday, but he closed his door in her face before she could do any kind of physical harm to his body.

Truthfully, he didn't know why he was so mean to her. Back in New York, he was rather respectful toward all women – be them kind or bitchy, he didn't care. But he had a feeling he was only so rude to Annabeth, because he was already in a sour place with this move. And she was the epitome of everything he couldn't stand about this place. She was southern to the marrow of her bones.

Perhaps that was a terrible reason to treat a virtual-stranger like shit, but he couldn't help himself to dislike her in the reason that he wasn't in the best place with his mind right now, and she wasn't making it any easier to do so in the _first_ place.

Aunt May called up the stairs, saying breakfast was ready just as Percy had slipped his shirt on. After running his hands through his hair, at least attempting to keep the wild locks under control, he made his way downstairs.

A grumpy looking Thalia sat at a small table in the kitchen, a plate of eggs and bacon in front of her. Her black hair was almost as bad as his, the bedhead ruffling the pieces out in the back, but matting them to her forehead in the front. She looked tired.

Percy took a seat at the table in the breakfast nook, almost laughing at the sight of Annabeth sitting next to Thalia. Her face was pink again, not meeting his eyes and making it look like she was trying to ignore everything to do with his existence. He smirked.

His aunt placed a plate in front of him, stocked with all kinds of food. He thanked her as his mouth watered in anticipation before he dug in. Jason stumbled into the house shortly after, his white shirt stained green and brown. He licked his lips once he caught the smell of his mom's cooking, exclaiming, "Smells good, ma!"

She cooed, reaching over and pinching his cheek as she handed him a plate. He plopped down in the rickety chair beside Percy, elbowing him in the gut.

"What?" Percy complained, glancing up from his food and entertaining his cousin.

He leaned in close to his ear. "You're getting death glares from two different ladies. I just wanted to know what on earth you could've gotten yourself into."

Percy looked across the table, and sure enough, creepy gray eyes were accompanied by electric blue ones, both offering their most intimidating feature in an angry glare. He swallowed, turning back to his cousin and muttering, "I only regret it a little bit."

"Mmhm," Jason agreed disbelievingly, giving him a look that made him feel like he was about to become these girls' breakfast. Though, the blond boy saved him as he started an innocent conversation. "So, ladies...What are the plans for today?"

Annabeth broke her gaze, smiling excitedly at Jason. "We're goin' down to Shadow's Creek."

"Yeah?" Jason was grinning, so Percy supposed he liked the sound of whatever that place was. "Is, uh," he cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Ya know... Piper coming?"

Both Thalia and Annabeth laughed, the former shaking her head. "Nah, it's her dad's day off today. She's spending the day with him." Jason nodded, his shoulders slumping in relief. Thalia cocked a quizzical brow. "And what's so good about that? I thought y'all had a thing."

"I just don't have the energy to woo her right now," Jason explained with a sheepish smile. "I haven't showered and my clothes are a right mess."

"You got that right," Annabeth said, pinching her nose jokingly. "Pee-Yew."

Jason ducked his head, hiding his blush as he reached over the table and knocked her shoulder. Then he turned to Percy again. "So, are you coming with us?"

Percy blinked. "No."

Rolling her eyes, Annabeth stood up from the table and hefted her bag onto her shoulder. "I'll be waitin' in the truck, guys."

Sounds of agreement came from the two siblings as they finished up their breakfast. Jason sighed, shaking his head. "Percy, remember what I said? You'll be right bored in this house doin' nothing all day long. Maybe you should give Arkansas a chance."

"I don't want to," Percy said honestly, shrugging and pushing his chair back. The action created a loud screech against the old tile floors.

Thalia's eyes bored into him. "I don't like the way you treated Annabeth today. And I don't care if you don't like her. She's our friend and whether you're family or not, I'll kick your ass if you pull another dick move like that."

"What now?" Jason asked, groaning. "Percy, will you ever learn?"

"We just had a little misunderstanding in the hallway this morning," Percy brushed off. "No biggie."

His cousin glared daggers. "Yeah, 'misunderstanding.' Let me just tell you right now that if you think for a second that you're any better than her, then think again."

It was Percy's turn to roll his eyes. "I never said I was better than her." _I merely implied it,_ he thought silently to himself. "I just don't like her."

"C'mon, Perce," Jason said. "You met her yesterday. You have absolutely no reason not to like her."

"I have plenty. Now, forget it. I don't wanna go to your stupid shadowy creek, so just go on and leave. I won't be changing my mind anytime soon."

"Okay," Jason sighed, getting up and washing his and Thalia's dish in the sink. "I don't have a cell phone, so you'd better hope you don't change your mind."

Percy frowned. "You don't have a cell phone?"

A smirk tugged at the blond's lips, making his little scar jump. "Tell me something: Do you get any kind of service out here?" The answer was no, and Jason seemed to already know that. "Only place that has reception is in town. No reason for one of those money suckers."

Even though he had already known about not being able to use his phone, he still cringed when his cousin talked about it. He wondered how many texts would be waiting for him when he finally made it into town.

"Whatever." Thalia brushed past him into the hallway. "You don't wanna hang with us hicks, then that's your choice. Don't come crying to us when you're bored to tears and begging for entertainment."

"Thalia," Percy called. "It's not that I don't wanna hang out with you guys. I mean... we're friends as much as we're family, but I'm just really not into the whole..." He gesticulated with his hands, not sure how he could word his thoughts.

"No, I get it." She scowled in a way that made Percy think she didn't get it. "You're really not into our whole lifestyle. Makes total sense, seeing as you're a narrow-minded yankee. I love you, Perce, but sometimes you're an asshole."

With that, she walked out the door to join her friend in the truck. Jason gave him a disapproving frown, wiping off his hands with a dish cloth before clapping him on the back in goodbye. "Have fun, I guess," he said as he grabbed his car keys from the blue tile counter and made his way out the door as well.

And Percy was left alone.

…

Now, never in a million years would Percy admit that Jason was right.

Outwardly, of course.

Inwardly...

Jason was right.

Percy had been through at least a thousand different ideas of what to do with the day, but with the absence of his most desirable cell phone and laptop, he was at a loss for what he could make with all this extra time.

No one was home to entertain him. Thalia and Jason had run off to some kind of southern style watering hole while their mother set foot to work. Percy thought that maybe he'd have to start talking to the family portraits hanging around if he got any more bored.

He tried watching TV, but the reception was shoddy and there really wasn't anything interesting on. Even the news was given his attention at one point.

Then he played a game to see if there was any one spot in the house that had anything above zero bars of cell service. After many failed attempts and a few bruises on his knees from falling off the kitchen counter, he'd given up that idea.

Looking through the fridge after that, he figured he'd just eat something, like he usually did when he didn't know what to do back in New York. But he couldn't find anything edible. There were only ingredients – an uncooked ham, raw carrots, baking soda. No Snack Packs or Lunchables like his mother always kept around.

When he was just about sure that the heat of the day and the lack of human interaction would kill him, he retreated upstairs to his bedroom. It was only a little past one in the afternoon and he knew his cousins wouldn't be home until much later.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there in his bed, staring at the wall and blinking. But after studying a questionable looking stain on the wallpaper for enough time to deem him insane, he'd just fallen asleep. Surely a nap would take away a few hours from the terrible day, and seeing as he honestly had nothing better to do... He slept, dreaming of a life back in New York.

…

It was probably somewhere after five o'clock when Jason woke him up. The boy was grinning, as if he knew how much of a shit day Percy had, and it amused him greatly.

"How was your day today?" Jason asked cheerily, sitting on the edge of his bed and patting his feet. "It looks like you had the time of your life."

Percy scowled, trying to kick him off of the bed, but he sat there like a rock. There was no way he would let Jason win the unspoken bet of how Percy would manage on his own. "My day wasn't bad. Probably no different than yours."

Jason raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing at his lips. "Oh, yeah? So, I take it you found something to do? Do you mind indulging me?"

Putting on a nonchalant face, Percy shrugged. "A little of this, a little of that."

"Hmm," Jason hummed, about to start laughing as it would seem. "I guess that means you don't wanna come with us tomorrow..?"

Something in Percy jumped at the thought of spending another day like the one he'd just experienced. Or a whole summer. He tried not to look desperate, but he wasn't sure if he was successful or not. "...Where are you guys going?" Percy asked casually.

Oh, and of course Jason grinned like he knew exactly what was going on in his cousin's mind. "Nowhere special. But I can tell you it'll be a heck of a lot more fun than watching what's actually visible of Law and Order on that crappy television set."

"Law and Order wasn't on today. I tried to watch The Real Housewives of New Jersey."

Jason only smiled.

And Percy caved. "Maybe...hanging out with you guys wouldn't be _so_ bad. Hopefully."

"That's what I thought," the blond chuckled.

* * *

**Heart-Shaped Box – Nirvana**

**Percy's an asshole, I know. But I swear he'll get better. Just try to imagine how much being ripped away from your home into a strange new town would be. Percy's bitter and resents the whole state of Arkansas (including everyone in it).**

**Let me know what you think!**

**Bella**


	3. Slow Down, You Crazy Child

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or the song Summer Girl. All rights go to those deserving.**

**Chapter III: Slow Down, You Crazy Child**

* * *

**PERCY**

Dinner was quicker last night, seeing as there weren't any feuds between Percy and the neighbor's daughter. She had thankfully gone to her own home for supper, so no one had to worry about any kind of sudden battle royale that might have gone down between all the kids.

Thalia had probably been the most excited about Percy's change of heart. She had exclaimed, "Oh, thank God! I thought you were going to play the whole _I'm-too-good-for-this_ game all summer!"

He frowned. "I...Yeah, whatever. Sorry."

But it still had been warming to get on good terms with his cousin again.

It was the next day when he sat in his room, idly scratching his chest as he searched for something to wear. In New York, dressing was easy – you didn't have to worry about it most of the time. As long as you were clean and looked good, you would be fine.

But here, in the dry summer heat of Arkansas, he had to be cautious about what he was going out in. Spending the day drowning in his own sweat wasn't one of the first things he was looking forward to on this summer imprisonment.

By no means was Percy adopting the fad of overalls and a cowboy hat. Jason was already rocking that particular look and Percy wouldn't _dare_ to snag his cousin's style. So, he'd have to find something fitting, but not embarrassing.

After what seemed like too long of a time for a teenage boy, he ended up choosing something to wear for the day. Average basketball shorts and a T-shirt. It couldn't be wrong.

A digital alarm clock sat coated in dust on his night stand, reading some time after ten o'clock in the morning. Even though Percy wholeheartedly wished he was still sleeping at the moment, there was no way he was skipping out on breakfast – especially after discovering what a great cook his aunt was.

Hiking his pants snugger around his waist, he left his room, flicking the light off before shuffling down the stairs. They made an annoying creaking sound on every third step that was loud and basically told him there was no way he would be able to run away at night without getting noticed.

Jason and Thalia already sat at the little table in the breakfast nook of the kitchen when Percy walked in. A tiny television set was stationed on the blue tile counter, holding their attention as Phineas and Ferb played across the fuzzy screen. Thalia made a slurping sound as she tilted her cereal bowl into her mouth, drinking whatever milk was leftover from her Coco Puffs. Her eyes never left the screen.

The sound of the front door opening jarred Percy as he plopped down at the seat he'd taken yesterday next to Jason. He had rounded up a bowl and spoon and was now pouring the chocolate cereal into the plastic green dish.

The neighbor's daughter sauntered into the kitchen, a Jansport bag slung across her shoulders. Her hair was a mess, carelessly tumbling off her back in loose ringlets of pale yellow. Curls bounced as she took a seat next to Thalia, sighing like she had done this a thousand times before.

Percy rolled his eyes and focused back on his oh-so-interesting Coco Puffs.

"So, Jason," Annabeth started happily, fluttering her eyelashes in a way that said she was about to try to convince him to do something in her favor.

"Uh oh," Jason said, mock-frowning and playfully elbowing her in the gut. "It looks like someone's tryna suck up."

"Who, me?" Annabeth brushed off, waving it away. "No, no. Of course not."

Tugging one of the curls hanging off her shoulder, he raised his eyebrows.

"Okay," the girl relented with a sigh. "I was just wondering if we could head over to the abandoned house before we go to Shadow's Creek. I think I left my cell phone over there. I just realized it was missing last night."

Jason stared at her. "We were at the abandoned house two weeks ago, Annabeth."

"I never use it," she defended, glancing at Thalia as the punk laughed loudly about something on the cartoon. "It's not like anyone actually _has_ those things around here. But I probably should go get it before some kid finds it and sells it for a new radio on his truck."

Shrugging his shoulders, he stuffed a spoonful of his mother's oatmeal into his mouth. "Sure. It's no problem."

Annabeth smiled at him, those little dimples of hers popping onto her tanned cheeks. "Thanks, Jase."

Muscles in Thalia's back cracked as she stretched her arms over her head. Like she remembered something, she suddenly turned to Annabeth with a wide grin. "Guess what, buttercup?"

"What?" Annabeth played along, pretending to look deeply invested as she leaned forward with her fist under her chin.

Thalia gracefully moved a hand in Percy's direction, gesturing to the boy in an almost regal way. "Percy has decided to come with us today."

It was insulting how rapidly the girl's smiled dropped.

"Oh," she said, briefly flickering her eyes toward him. Addressing him now, she arched a brow. "I take it your cousins were right? Boredom sucks _everywhere_. Doesn't it?"

Percy glared at her. "Shut up," he grumbled, thinking back to how horrible the day before had been. The girl snickered derisively, a certain smugness crawling onto her features that made Percy actually consider flicking a girl.

Jason cut in then. "So, we ready to go? We're burning daylight!"

The two girls smiled as they got up from their seats, high-fiving the kid across the table in agreement to his statement. Annabeth's hands shot up to her hair and hastily pulled it into a scraggly bun before she and Thalia headed down the hallway.

Now that the girls were gone, his cousin gave him a disapproving look. "We're spending the whole day with her, Perce, whether you like it or not. Play nice."

Left to ponder that advice, Jason followed his sisters into the truck.

…

The inside of the car was sweltering as Percy jumped into the passenger seat. He hadn't actually understood the reason for Thalia and Annabeth opting to sit in the open-aired trunk until now. At least _they_ could breathe.

As Jason backed out of the gravel driveway, Percy watched through the rear-view mirror, seeing the two girls giggle as they were bounced and bumped around. The sun was bright through the windshield, forcing him to cave into his desires and roll down the window while the heat of the rays warmed his lap. Although the outside air smelled of dirt and manure, the air conditioner was still broken and it was still cruelly hot out. He needed to cool off.

_New York smells worse_, he tried to cheer himself up when the rank smell attacked his nostrils.

His stomach protested the winding roads with their lack of a clean layout and general order as he shut his eyes tight. Something his mother told him about keeping his eyes on the asphalt ahead of him to avoid nausea sprung into his head, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. His lids squeezed tighter.

"You okay there, buddy?" Jason asked, turning the car to the side and swaying them in a way that had Percy groaning.

"Screw this curvy road shit. I miss New York."

Jason laughed loudly. "You'll be fine. We're almost there."

In a few agonizing minutes, the car had pulled up to a small wooden house that was putting off a run down kind of feel. The shutters of one of the shattered windows was hanging loose by a single screw, dangling dangerously. Pale green grass was overgrown around the perimeter of the place along with a couple of leafy bushes dotting the yard. There were fields for miles around.

"I'll be quick!" Annabeth called as she hopped out of the trunk and sprinted into the broken down house. Percy watched her skip up the front steps to the porch and fling open the screen door.

"We could just leave her here," he suggested, shrugging casually. It wasn't too bad of an idea.

Jason shot him an unamused look. "Shut up, Percy."

The boy lifted his hands defensively. "I was just putting it out there. I'm sure she'd be able to find her way home without a fatal amount of harm."

"You're an asshole."

"Nothing I haven't heard before," Percy waved off.

After a few wasted minutes, Annabeth was tumbling back out of the house, a small chunk of metal in her hand. As she ran by Percy's side of the truck, she stopped at his window and threw her phone past his nose. Green eyes widened and he jerked back, but the phone only landed harmlessly in the back seat, the teenager walking away like nothing had happened at all.

He wondered how someone could be so lax with their phone. His was his _baby_, and he would never abuse it like that. Watching in the rear-view mirror again, he saw her clamber back into her spot in the truck, her cell phone forgotten. Percy wanted to cry for the neglected poor thing.

As soon as the blonde girl was settled, Jason was on the road, and Percy's stomach was churning again. He didn't know if he could ever get used to the long expanses of space between civilization, or never-ending, seemingly pointless stretches of road.

Sudden shouts and cheers were heard from behind him and he flipped once again to see the girls standing up and waving their arms frantically at a passing car. The driver's window of the rusty sedan was down and a guy leaned out, yelling, "What's going on, my ladies?"

"Hey, Leo!" the girls chorused, laughing as the boy honked his horn repeatedly until he was out of view.

"This place is so weird," Percy muttered under his breath.

Jason chuckled. "I don't deny that."

Soon, the truck was stopping off somewhere close to a span of woods. A little stream ran parallel to the road someways out, branching off into different directions further off. The kids jumped out of the car, and Percy followed, confused as to what they were going to be doing to have fun in a place like this.

The sun was still beaming harshly onto his back and Percy groaned as he felt the heat seep into his skin once again. He'd like to be comfortable in this town for at least five minutes without feeling like he was going to lose his breakfast or pass out from heat stroke.

Annabeth stretched her arms wide and tilted her head back, seemingly trying to soak up every ounce of light the sun had to offer. Percy scowled in her direction. _Of course_, she would appreciate the stupid Satan climate.

Once all of them had grabbed their bags from the truck – and Percy had started worrying because he didn't bring anything with him. No one had told him to – They started off into the woods.

Charcoal eyebrows dipped as he followed them in through the branches, Thalia holding some back so he could step past. He didn't understand why they would be bringing him here. Unless Jason was sick of being nice to him and they'd all decided to roast his body in some kind of virgin sacrifice to the devil – It could happen. He didn't know what southern kids did in their spare time.

They led him a little ways down the creek, changing direction once they got to the split of the it's water. Pine needles and twigs snapped under his feet as he used his left hand to fan his face and his right to hold onto anything that would help him walk in the ragged terrain.

The air smelled musky and raw, but he had to admit it was a whole lot better than the farms back from before. It was almost pleasant, and he wondered whether he had ever been in the woods before. The scent wasn't familiar, and Percy only then realized that he'd never even been on a hike before.

Minutes of walking in silence resulted in them finally stopping. Percy glanced up from his feet to take in the scene.

He'd admit he was surprised.

Out of the line of trees was a wide stream of water. Weathered rocks jutted from the sides, and pockets of white bubbles formed where the fast water met resistance. On all sides, they were still surrounded by the wooded area, but from the wide stretch of water, the sky and air that met with it were left open and clear.

It was probably the biggest creek he'd ever seen. Not that he'd seen any in reality, but it extended about fifteen feet across, the sides being shallow while the middle looked fairly deep. Shadows from the tall oaks and pines elongated across the water, shading the area in a darker tone of light and effectively dimming the harsh rays of the sun, although the whole place seemed to be out in the open from where it stood.

For miles downward, the stream continued, gurgling and spitting in the distance. He glanced at the other three teenagers with him and saw them taking in the scene just as he had been, no matter how many times they had studied the same picture before.

"This is Shadow's Creek," Annabeth informed, dropping her Jansport backpack on a nearby rock and slipping out of her high top converse.

Percy could understand the shadow part. The trees provided something that looked like a paradise under the beating sun. His green eyes squinted, seeing only a small reflection of bright light on the water. They were pretty shaded in from what he could tell.

But he still wondered what they were doing here. They'd just walked what he would see as the equivalent of ten blocks in Manhattan, and all they'd stumbled upon was some stupid stream of water. What were they going to do? Paint it?

An answer came in the form of Thalia kicking off her boots and slipping her shirt over her head. Percy's head whipped away, startled by his cousin's sudden desire to strip. "Whoa!" he yelled out, but the others weren't paying attention to him.

His mistake was where he had turned his head. Right in front of him was Annabeth doing the exact same thing as her best friend. Her small hands reached the bottom of her shirt, tugging it upward and over her head until she was left in a pale pink bra.

Percy snapped his eyes shut, not knowing where to look because everyone around him was _getting naked_ for some reason, and suddenly, that virgin sacrifice didn't seem so far off. His cheeks were on fire, no matter how hard he tried to keep the color under control. Even if it was just the neighbor's daughter, Percy was still embarrassed at the fact that he'd just seen her take off her shirt.

Because he was a guy, and she was a girl, and he was _just_ as straight as he'd been back in New York.

"What are you guys doing!" Percy shouted into the air, his arm over his eyes.

Hearing amused laughter around him, he only felt more embarrassed and completely out of place. "Is your hand over your eyes? Are we really that terrible looking?" he heard Thalia joke from his left.

A clap sounded off of his back, and from the sting of it, he knew it had been Jason. "We're going swimming, Perce. What did you expect?"

Hesitantly, Percy let his eyes open, and he looked around (definitely keeping his eyes away from the blonde to his right, because he really didn't want to deal with seventeen-year-old hormone bullshit right now.) He saw that his cousins were left standing shamelessly in their underwear, not a care in the world.

"Where are your bathing suits?" Percy asked breathlessly, taking a step back from them.

They laughed again, like his clueless state amused them. "Who needs a suit when we've got these under our clothes?" Jason said, snapping the band of his boxers. Percy shot his eyes upward, definitely wishing he could erase that image.

"Don't be such a prude," Annabeth chided from his right, where he was still not looking. That forced him to think of just yesterday when he'd thought the same thing about _her_. "This covers exactly as much as a swimsuit would. Just more convenient."

Thalia nodded, adjusting her sports bra against her skin. "Let's get in! I'm dying over here!"

Without further thought, his cousin waded into the stream water, splashing the liquid between her fingers as she got used to the temperature. His vision was suddenly blocked as a very much exposed teenager stepped in front of him. He couldn't bring himself to tear his eyes away this time.

"How is it? Cold?" Annabeth asked, dipping a nail-polished toe into the bank of the creek and shivering. Percy _saw_ that shiver run through her body. He could see so much.

His face was still burning, and he thought that she probably had won this round of their unspoken contest. Because he was truthfully a mess of a boy where he stood.

"You coming in, Perce?" Jason called from the water, moving his hips around as he tried not to be pulled away by the current. The middle of the stream came up to his belly-button, but he looked to be perfectly eased in holding himself in place.

"I didn't bring a bathing suit," Percy responded adamantly, perching his butt on a rock. Like hell, he'd make a fool of himself and go swimming in his underwear in dirty creek water. Who new what kind of parasites and bacteria lived in there? He could only imagine having something as terrifying as a leech on his downstairs.

"Stay hot, then," Annabeth told him breezily, spreading out her shoulders in confidence as she moved deeper into the water. Something told Percy she didn't have insecurities about her body, the way she was able to flaunt it so easily. But the same went for his cousins – they seemed perfectly content in stripping down in the middle of the woods.

"That's right." Thalia lifted her arms above her head, letting little droplets of water trickle down over her hair. "It's extremely hot out and this water's nice. If you wanna sit there and watch for the rest of the day, well that's fine by us."

That kind of sounded even worse than getting a leech on his boys. Squinting his eyes, Percy tried to reason with himself. There was no way he could stand this heat any longer.

Biting his lip, he ripped his shirt over his head and kicked off his shoes. He wouldn't go swimming in his underwear, but luckily, he had been dressed in basketball shorts this morning. Pretty much the same thing as a bathing suit.

Annabeth rolled her eyes as she saw him step in wearing his pants. She bent down to run her hair into the cool water, which gave another view that had Percy wishing the shade of the trees was dark enough to hide his tomato face and suddenly tingly skin. The girl was such a pain.

The water was an instant relief on his feet as he stepped in. Refreshing coolness seeped into his skin while he climbed into the creek. He hadn't expected to be able to see so clearly through the water, but it was amazing how clean it was. He could see his feet and legs straight down through.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Thalia smirked, splashing him with the admittedly great feeling water.

"I guess," Percy grumbled, upset that his cousins had been right again. Already, the morning had been better than it was at the house the previous day, and it was only around noontime. "So, what do we do now?"

Jason shot him a confused look. "What do you mean? We swim."

"I see that," Percy said sarcastically. "I meant after. How long do you expect to just sit here? What do we do after we cool off?"

The teenagers were looking at him as if _he_ was the weird one. Annabeth was the one to speak first. "Where's the fire, city boy? Sit back and relax for a change."

He scowled in her direction. "I'm attention deficit. I don't 'relax.'"

"Chill out, man," Thalia put in, closing her eyes and falling back into the water. "You've got the rest of your life to control where you are and what you're doing. For now, just appreciate the time summer's given us to slow down for a while."

Swirling his hand along the current of water, Percy tried to consider what it meant to slow down.

* * *

**Vienna – Billy Joel**

**Longer than I expected, but I like flustered Percy. Thanks for reading!**

**Bella**


	4. I'm Starting To Unwind

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or the song Summer Girl. All rights go to those deserving.**

**Chapter IV: I'm Starting To Unwind**

* * *

**PERCY**

Percy didn't want to openly admit that bathing at a creek in the woods had been something close to bliss.

But as the refreshingly cool water washed over his skin, he couldn't deny the sweet relief it offered. Arkansas was hot and dry, a complete opposite from his old home. He'd never had to deal with that kind of climate before, but with this little stream, he felt like maybe he could almost forgive the town for being so irritatingly scalding.

It felt like they'd been in the woods for hours. The shadows were growing longer and the sun's intensity was toning down to somewhat bearable. Percy's skin was wrinkling and pruning, but surprisingly, it didn't bother him all that much.

There was a rope tied on a tall branch a couple of feet away that had provided a sufficient amount of entertainment for the day. Annabeth had pulled a black rubber tube out from some place behind a tree and set up a game where everyone would take turns jumping from the rope and aiming into the rounded hole of the doughnut shaped tube.

At first, Percy had pretended it was lame and acted completely uninterested, not wanting to let Annabeth have the satisfaction of giving him a good time. But after a few minutes, he couldn't bite back the grin forming on his face. It was just so much better than yesterday.

Thalia let out a war cry as she ran forward from about five or six feet behind the rope, flinging herself onto it with a wild twirl. Halfway across the width of the creek, she let go, hurdling into the water at breakneck speed.

Laughter exploded from the kids around as the splash of Thalia's dive soaked them again. For a moment, Percy actually felt a little comfortable. After hours in this place, he didn't feel so out of place anymore.

When lunch time had come around, Annabeth crawled out from the water, her wet skin glittering while little droplets trickled down her body, reflecting the light of the sun. Percy looked away sharply.

She had opened up her backpack to reveal plastic wrapped, peanut butter and grape jelly Smucker's Uncrustable sandwiches. Jason scarfed down close to three in a minute, and Percy just watched on, his jaw dropping comically. Jason's appetite never failed to surprise him.

At one point during the day, Percy had gotten the scare of his life.

Now, living in the city of New York, he didn't see wildlife all that often. So, it came as a bit of a surprise when some kind of deer with giant Percy-stabbing antlers came prancing across the creek, not twenty-five feet away.

He might have squeaked and cowered behind Thalia.

The others laughed at him, but it was a frightening moment for Percy. He didn't know what was in the diet plan of a deer, and whether it consisted of black-haired city kids with bad attitudes.

"It's just a deer, Perce," Jason chuckled, tossing a twig toward the animal in attempt to scare it away. It worked as the deer sniffed at the thing for a second before galloping off further into the woods.

"It's just a deer with antlers the size of my stepfather's arms," Percy corrected as he shuddered at the memory of Gabe. "They probably smell the same, too."

They chorused in laughter and Percy let a smile crack onto his face.

The sun was sinking in the sky when Jason hopped off the tree he had climbed and ran over to Annabeth's bag. He dug around in it a bit before pulling out a leather strapped watch with a silver clock face attached. Then he shouted for the others that it was time to go if they wanted to make it back for dinner.

Seeing as Jason had eaten all that was left of Annabeth's packed lunch, they chose to gather their stuff and head back to the truck. It was around five o'clock and the day was still going strong. Percy knew the sun wouldn't set until somewhere after seven or eight, so he wasn't worried about walking back through the woods in the dark.

He climbed out of the water, squeezing and wringing the fabric from his shorts and watching the water dribble down his calf. The slight breeze in the air cooled the material against his thighs, forcing a sigh of content from his lips.

It seemed like a shorter amount of time to make it back to the truck the second way around. The other kids looked pretty comfortable in their dry clothes, but Percy was sloshing around in his soaked basketball shorts. When he pulled his T-shirt over his head, the hemline dampened uncomfortably against the waist of his pants.

Annabeth hopped into the open trunk, pulling a blanket in from the back seat's tiny opening on the rear view window. She wrapped it around herself as Jason swung his door open. Percy was about to take the passenger seat again, when he called out, "Whoa, whoa, whoa there, buddy! What do you think you're doing?"

Percy cocked a brow. "Getting in the car..?" he asked, unsure.

"Not in those clothes." Jason shook his head. "You'll get my seats all wet. And from moisture comes mildew. The car already smells bad enough."

Sighing impatiently, the boy spread his arms out. "What do you want me to do then? Ride on the roof?"

Jason only smirked, like this had been his plan all along. "Get in the trunk."

One glance behind him showed Annabeth snuggled into the corner, huddling in her blanket. Her usually curly hair was damp and shining. Immediately, Percy shook his head. "No, Jason."

"If you want a ride home, get in the trunk."

"Annabeth's in there," Percy hissed, whacking his cousin from the back of his head.

"Make do," Jason sing-songed, slamming his front door closed. Before he could protest any further, Thalia grinned at him as she dashed by and plopped into the passenger seat. He heard the locks click.

Sighing, Percy grumbled under his breath as he hopped onto one of the back tires, slinging himself over the ledge of the trunk. He settled down as far from the girl as he could, trying to control his blush again as he thought of what he had seen her in only a few minutes ago. A light pink bra and mismatched panties stretched tight over wet, tanned skin. He heaved a steadying breath.

As soon as his butt hit the metal flooring, Annabeth piped up. "What are you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing?" Percy snapped, getting comfortable in his position. She didn't seem to like that answer.

"Where's Thalia?"

"I guess she's _inside_ the truck. Funny how cars work, huh?" he quipped with an eye roll.

Her jaw clenched. "Don't make me out to be the stupid here," she warned. "_You_ were the one who was scared of a thing with a brain even smaller than _yours_. And that's saying something."

"Shut up," he growled.

"Why don't you make me, tough guy?" Annabeth scooted forward, sending a clear message: she wasn't intimidated by him. Something he'd have to find a way to work around.

"Fine," he said with a shrug. "Keep embarrassing yourself until you run out of steam. It's about time for your nap anyway. Isn't it, kitty cat?"

Gray eyes were blazing, and maybe she wasn't scared of him, but he was of her. He didn't show it as he lifted his chin up pretentiously, sending out the same message to her.

Annabeth shook her head, her jawline so hard, he would have swore it could have sliced diamonds. "You think you're so much better than us because of where you're from. News flash, city boy: You're _here_ now. In _our_ town. We outrank whatever you think you have over us."

It was quiet after that. Percy's eyes stayed glued to the passing treeline that soon morphed into hilly green fields, looking gray in the paling light. Her words were saturating into his mind, tumbling back and forth through his conscious.

She had been right. Maybe the only reason Percy didn't like this place was because he couldn't control his life here. He didn't understand it; didn't belong in a place like this. He was so angry about not being able to fit in, he hadn't even given it a worthy shot. This was _their_ town, and maybe these kids were better than him in a place like this. They belonged here.

But _he_ wouldn't let her know she'd been right. If he was sure about one thing in this God awful place, it was that Annabeth's pride could take a few healthy blows, and he sure as hell would be the one to deliver if no one else would.

Music drifted into the thick air from the square opening of the rear view window. Some folk rock band he wasn't familiar with played out of the speakers. It was a relief from the awkward silence with the neighbor's daughter.

Bolts and screws rolled around the floor as the truck maneuvered through the long, meandering roads. What looked like an empty can of motor oil rattled and clicked quietly. When they finally turned into Aunt May's driveway, Percy felt his shoulders slump in relief as a breath he'd been holding left his mouth. He didn't want to stick around for another second of the tension with this girl.

Car doors slammed as Jason halted the roar of the engine. It shuddered from the effort, but didn't put up too much of a fight. Percy was surprised something of it's age still ran.

Annabeth did something close to hurl herself out of the trunk when they parked. Maybe Percy would have been insulted, had he not been feeling the same urge.

Inside the house, the smell of garlic and spice hit his nose as soon as he stepped through the screen door. It definitely overpowered the carpet's stench enough to have him close to drooling in anticipation. Aunt May was like the Rachel Ray of chefs. Her food was usually greasy and delicious.

While the teenagers settled into the living room with their paper plates full of sausage and peppers, Aunt May turned in early. The woman said her good-nights with a warm smile, heading up the stairs.

The four teenagers had the whole night to themselves. But before Percy could get excited, he learned just another difference between these kids and the people he used to know. Because the first suggestion was, "Let's watch a movie!" coming from Jason.

"Really?" Percy asked in disbelief. "That's it?"

"What did you expect?" Thalia shrugged. "We've been out all day. I'm pooped."

Percy closed his eyes exasperatedly as he leaned his head back on the couch he was sitting on. Jason was curled up on the other side of the sofa, his cheek pressed onto the armrest and his arms hugging a throw pillow. The girls sat at their feet, Thalia was braiding Annabeth's hair down her back.

"What do you wanna watch, Jase?" Annabeth asked, her back turned to him as she waited patiently for Thalia to finish up behind her.

The blond to his left hummed in thought, rolling over so he was laying on his back. "I don't know. Something."

"Like what?" Thalia asked, amusement clear in her tone as she finished tying up the end of Annabeth's braid. The blonde turned her head, smiling at her plaited hair and running her fingers along the texture.

Jason folded his arms behind his head, inquiring, "What do we have?"

Moving forward from her spot on the carpet, Annabeth clicked open a small cabinet on the TV display. Stacks of VHS tapes and DVD cases were lined up horizontally on the inside, filling the space evenly. She ran her finger up the number of titles, reading each one off clearly.

"Twilight: New Moon, Karate Kid, Taken, Whip It, Happy Gilmore, _annnd..._ Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants."

"That's our selection?" Percy deadpanned.

Jason nudged his foot into Percy's side. "C'mon. They aren't all bad. And New Moon was the best one of the whole Twilight Saga."

The teenager paled, turning away and shaking his head.

"Oh," Annabeth called, her back still turned to them. "I got The Avengers, too."

"That one," Percy demanded, not caring what the others wanted to see. Like hell, he'd be watching any 'Sisterery Pants' movie.

Annabeth arched a brow, looking at the other two for confirmation. Obviously, she wasn't going to just cater to Percy's desire. Not by a long shot.

"Cool with me," Thalia sighed, reaching up onto the couch and pulling two pillows out from under her brother's legs. The boy whimpered, but she ignored him, setting them up for herself and Annabeth. "Hand me that blanket, Perce," she commanded him, pointing to a plaid, thermal just behind his head.

Scooting back to her seat, Annabeth and Thalia got themselves comfortable on the floor as Jason used the remote next to him to start the movie. Percy laid back when the first scene began flickering on the old TV set. He'd never actually understood the whole 'tesseract' thing, and usually just zoned out during that part. Pretty much all he needed to know was that everyone wanted this glowy, geometrical cube-y thing that Loki stole.

The movie was long. He'd almost forgotten how so until his eyes started feeling droopy halfway through. His conscious was slipping before his cousin's head fell hard onto his shoulder with a heavy _thump_.

"Dude," Percy complained, trying to shift the large blond off of him. But the kid was out like a light. "Really?"

Laughter sounded from the girls in front of him and through the dim light the TV cast upon them, he could make out Annabeth's smirk. "That's cute."

He scowled. "Someone get him off of me."

They only kept laughing at him. "Jason sleeps like'a rock. Prepare to spend the rest of the night right there on the couch," Thalia informed him.

Percy groaned as he pushed at Jason's face. "Jeez, he's freaking iron."

"Use the toaster," Jason mumbled, shoving his face into Percy's shirt. "It has a cherry."

"What the hell are you talking about?" He asked helplessly. "Is that some kind of innuendo?"

The girls exploded in laughter again.

"This isn't funny, guys. Seriously, help me out. He's a ton."

"Aw," Annabeth cooed. "City boy can't handle a little weight on his shoulders? Don't surprise me."

He sent a glare in her direction. "Oh, shut up. I'd like to see you carry this ape."

There was a glint of determination in her eye as she stood up. Purposefully, she sauntered her way over to Jason. Taking him by the shoulders, she threw him over the other side of the couch with a small grunt. The boy only let out another string of mindless words before starting to snore.

With a smug huff, she turned away and started gathering her things. Percy could only watch on with grudging admiration as she stepped up to Thalia, pecking the girl on the cheek and saying, "I should be getting home. It's late and my dad'll be wonderin' where I am sooner or later. I'll seeya tomorrow."

Slipping on her shoes, she quietly left out of the front door, trekking back to her house in the dark night. Jason shot up suddenly, his eyes wide. "I would have walked her back! Why didn't you guys wake me up?"

Percy almost lost it.

Chuckling, Thalia said, "Chill, Jason. There's no one on this road that'll get her between here and her front door. She's fine."

The blond relaxed, falling backward onto the couch with a sleepy puff. "Okay."

"Tomorrow?" Percy inquired, trying to hold back a whimper. "Do you guys hang out with her _every_day?"

Thalia looked at him in amusement. "What? Did the trunk-ride back home not help? We for sure thought y'all would be going at it by the end of the night."

An undesired blush spread across the crests of Percy's cheeks. An image of Annabeth's body in her underwear resurfaced in his mind again, and he had to physically shake his head to dispel the thoughts. "Probably the opposite effect there, Thals."

"Well, shit." She sighed. "Guess we'll have to try again tomorrow."

* * *

**Take It or Leave It – Cage The Elephant**

**Don't ask me why these updates are being quick for some reason. I do not promise this for the rest of the story.**

**Bella**


	5. Her Eyes and Words are so Icy

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or the song Summer Girl. All rights go to those deserving.**

**Chapter V: Her Eyes and Words are so Icy. Oh, but She Burns, like Rum on Fire**

* * *

**PERCY**

It wouldn't be true to say Percy got a lot of sleep when he lived in New York.

More often than not, he stayed up late on his X-Box, playing live with his best friend, Grover. There were times when he didn't actually go to sleep until he realized the sun had already rose from the depths of night. It only got worse around summertime.

But Percy didn't have to worry about waking up early, either. He might have went to bed late, but there weren't any misgivings about his mother rushing him out the next morning. So, he was okay most of the time.

He should have realized it would be different here. At this point, he figured maybe he should be trying to pinpoint _similarities, _rather than differences. It would be easier.

Why did he have to rise early?

For one, if he didn't get up in time for Aunt May's breakfast, Jason would end up eating anything left over.

For another, Thalia Grace was a mean, _mean_ girl.

"Wake up, Kelp Head! Time to take on the day!"

Her cold mouth was pressed against his ear as she shouted the lights out of his eyes. He shot up from his bed, his eyes flinging around to find the source of the painful noise. His mind was muddled and nothing made _sense_. His cousin stood to the side, only inches away from his unprotected ear drum.

"Thalia?" he whined, shielding his eyes with his forearm as she ripped his dusty curtains opened. "Why are you doing this to me?"

She smirked. "Wakey, wakey, Perce. We've got plans for you today."

"We?" He asked, looking around. "Who's _we_?"

That was when he saw Annabeth standing in the doorway, leaning on the frame with the same expression as her best friend. She wore a baseball tee, her hands stuffed into the pockets of ripped denim shorts. Her messy hair was carelessly thrown up in a ponytail.

Percy was suddenly very aware of the fact that he was only wearing boxers under his blanket.

It wasn't that he was scared of what she would think of him. Not that at all. He had no problem running into her with just a towel on. Annabeth didn't intimidate him like that, because there was absolutely no part of him that considered her in a romantic way.

No, seriously. None. (Okay, maybe a small part from Shadow's Creek, but he was a seventeen year old boy, for Christ's sake, he was _weak_.)

The problem was just that he really didn't want to deal with what would come of him for the rest of the day once the two girls saw the Bubble Guppies printed on his underwear.

"Get out of here," Percy groaned, falling back onto his bed with a huff. He pulled his blanket up over his nipples just in case those girls wanted to catch a good look at him.

"Nope," Thalia popped, setting her hands on her hips. Annabeth chuckled from the doorway.

He figured there was no way out of the situation without being a little honest. Only a little.

"I'm not wearing pants under these blankets. But if you really want me to get out of the bed right now, I guess I could..." He trailed off, moving his hand to the edge of the sheet and making it look like he really _was_ about to expose himself to them.

"Uh, no," Thalia said, her hands flying up to her face. Annabeth backed out of the doorway before he had even finished his sentence.

Thalia gave him a look that said, _You win this time. _"If you're not downstairs in five minutes, I'm coming back up here with a blindfold and a meat mallet. Trust me, if you thought my swing was brutal before, you'd hate to see the mercy I won't give without the sympathy that comes along with sight." She stumbled out of the room, jamming her toe on his dresser from her lack of vision and letting out a string of curses that his mother would have cried at.

"Aye, aye, Sailor Thalia," Percy muttered as she slammed his door shut. With a sleepy yawn, he got up from his bed, stretching his arms into the air and popping the knots in his elbows. He grabbed his deodorant from-

Suddenly, his door swung open again. "Oh, and if you want breakfa-"

Thalia stopped short, her eyes drifting downward before shooting straight up. She looked like she wanted to be horrified, but a smirk took place instead. "Are those Bubble Guppies?" she asked, flashing a grin.

"Don't tell, Annabeth!" he yelled after her as she slammed the door shut.

The last thing he heard from his cousin was, "No promises!"

Percy let his head drop into his hands. "Well, shit."

…

After showering and getting dressed – opting for solid colored boxers – Percy clomped down the stairs, growling at the squeaky steps. It was like they were trying to announce his presence.

He'd been here over a week, and it still baffled him just how...organized this family was. Not in the 'clean house' sense, but they had a working schedule. They were _always_ up out of bed at the crack of dawn. Breakfast was _always_ made and ready by the time he woke up. Jason _always_ knew when it was time for the grass to be cut or the chores to be done. Annabeth was _always_ here at the same time each morning.

It was sickening, really.

A plate of waffles was calling his name as he sat down at the little round table. Aunt May set a glass of orange juice next to him, brushing her hand against his cheek warmly before moving back to make Jason's plate. He offered a sleepy smile to her in return.

Quickly, Percy dug into his breakfast, cherishing the taste of buttery, syrupy goodness. When he finally looked up to take a breath, he saw that Annabeth was distracted with some kind of sketch book in her hands. Jason and Thalia were sharing an almost secretive smile that immediately put Percy on guard.

Catching Thalia's eye, he cocked a brow. She only grinned in return, her intent malicious. Percy didn't like the look.

"Annabeth," Thalia said cheerily. The blonde only hummed in acknowledgment, not looking up from her book. "What do you think about a guy who wears underwear advertising aquatic baby mermaids?"

That must have gotten her attention. She glanced at Thalia with scrunched eyebrows. "Huh?"

"Just curious." Thalia shrugged, sending Percy a meaningful look. _Play it my way today, or you'll spend the rest of the summer known as Captain of the Bubble Guppies._

Percy gulped, nodding imperceptibly.

"What?" Jason looked around, as if an answer to the confusing conversation would be written on the walls or something alike.

"Don't worry about it, Jase," Thalia told him, shooting another one of those smiles that made Percy think they were up to something. Green eyes narrowed on his two cousins.

Finishing up his breakfast, Percy laid his plate in the sink for Aunt May to clean before she left for work. After seeing her slave over breakfast yet again, he took the liberty of rinsing his dishes off first. Once he turned around, he asked, "So, what are we doing today?"

This morning, Thalia had mentioned something about 'plans' for him. God only knew what that meant, so he wasn't exactly anticipating what was to come. The last few days had been spent heading over to Shadow's Creek, which was quickly growing on him the longer he stuck around.

Thalia's smile was too sweet for Percy to believe it wasn't poisonous.

"We're going to show you what this family does for work."

He didn't like the way she said it. Too casual.

"You mean your guy's farm? You're going to show me...your farm?" Wracking his brain, he tried to think of a way any trauma could come from that. Maybe they were sick of dealing with his attitude and we ready to kill him and bury his body in their dirt as fertilizer.

"Exactly," Jason said with a lazy smile and a shrug. "It'll be fun."

"To see your farm..?"

Thalia reached over the counter and flicked his ear. His mouth dropped and he was going to protest, but decided against it because he didn't want another one. "Aw, you're learning!" she cooed, petting his hair.

A scowl stretched his face and he swatted her hand away.

"It'll be fun, Perce," she convinced. "We're not going to kill you and leave you there to die."

He sighed. "That's reassuring."

…

The day was scalding as usual. Beams of sunlight struck down, swathing Percy in inescapable heat. His hair was sticking to the back of his sweaty neck as he blew out a heavy breath.

As Thalia and Jason led them past the backyard and into the fields, the pungent smell of freshly cut grass met his nose. The tips of his shoes were staining green, and his forehead was dotted with perspiration.

Annabeth walked to the side, her head tilted up into the sky. It was no wonder why she was so tan. This girl seemed to live for the sun. Another reason not to like her.

In the distance, Percy could make out a line of different texture in the landscape. Somewhere between where he stood and two hundred yards away, the land turned darker, taller. Crops erupted from the dirt beneath them, the tops of them seemingly brushing against the pale blue sky.

As they approached the plantation – after what seemed like too long to have been worth the trip – Thalia spread her arms wide, presenting her family's life work.

It was corn.

Towering stalks at least three feet above Percy's head. They went on for rows and rows, a never ending field of maize. The plants themselves were thick and healthy. Long leaves sprouted out up the length of the stalk, flapping down off the sides. Ears of corn hung, waiting to be plucked and sold for the Grace family.

"Interesting," Percy managed.

Jason nodded, watching over the corn like it was his baby. Knowing how much care and work Jason put into his chores, Percy wouldn't have been surprised.

"So, this was fun. We can head back n-"

"Nuh-uh," Thalia rejected. "We're taking you in."

Percy's eyebrows dipped. "What? Do you think it will be better from the inside? I'm sure it'll still be corn whatever angle we look at it from."

"Shut_ up_," Thalia breathed, frustrated, pulling two pieces of fabric from her pocket and thrusting one into his hand. "Just put this on."

Studying the square shaped material, Percy blinked. "You want me to wear a bandanna?"

"You ask too many questions! Put the damn thing around your eyes and shut your jabbering mouth!"

His hands raised in surrender as he wrapped the blindfold across his temples. This was the part where apprehension started to set in. Percy couldn't see. It was hot. And he was in a strange field full of corn taller than the empire state building.

Rough hands grabbed his shoulders, steering him into the dense growth. At first, Percy thought it had been Jason, but then he heard the boy off to the right of him. "Oh, watch out," he said.

"Why am _I_ wearing a blindfold? I've been here loads of times." The voice was Annabeth's. She sounded confused as Jason called out commands to help her through the thickness, while Thalia just pushed Percy, not caring if he fell.

"Just go with it, Annabeth," Thalia told her from behind Percy.

Her voice was wary when she responded. "Okay..."

After a few minutes of scraped up legs and really hot shoulders, Thalia's grip on him loosened and he stopped hearing the crunch of leaves to the side of him. "Don't take off the bandannas yet."

"Why?" Annabeth whined.

Steady wind blew through the plants, crackling the dry leaves. "Because we're gonna play a game," Thalia explained. "Don't go anywhere. We'll be right back."

Percy really didn't like where this was going. Annabeth must not have either.

"Hold on a second, Thals-"

But by then, they were already gone, leaving a trail of snickers and footsteps in their escape.

Standing still, Percy wondered what kind of game someone could play in a cornfield. Southern kids must get _really_ bored to have to create fun from such...nothingness.

But as Percy stayed there, he wondered how long it would take them to get back. After five minutes, the sounds of Annabeth's restless shuffling hit his ears. He heard her start cursing to herself, suddenly angry.

A frown etched his lips, but he said nothing, still waiting for his cousins to come back and explain to him this stupid game. Percy just wanted to go somewhere and cool off. Maybe eat a sandwich.

It wasn't long before Annabeth's footsteps stopped. He could almost feel her gawking at him. "Oh, you big doofus, take off your blindfold! They left us!"

Confusion spread through his mind as he untied the bandanna from around his head. His eyes searched for any sign of his two cousins through the acres of thick plants. When he saw nothing but corn and an angry blonde girl, he felt his skin heat up. Annabeth's assumption started to make more and more sense in his mind, and suddenly, his jaw was setting and his fists were clenching.

"This has got to be a joke," Percy muttered, stepping forward and parting the stalks of corn to look through. There was just more corn and no sight of anyone else. "Thalia!" he bellowed, using his feet to push off the ground and jump so he could see over all the tall plants. All he got was a mouth full of leaf.

"That's not going to work," Annabeth grumbled, her lips forming an angry pout. "These stalks are at least eight and a half feet tall. You're pushing maybe five 'nine. And that's a stretch."

He scowled. "I'm six foot, thanks." Lie. It was a total lie, but he wasn't going to admit it to _her_.

"Yeah, sure," she brushed off, her hands violently tugging the ponytail out of her hair, only to tie it back up messier than before. "We need to find a way out of here."

"Really?" Percy asked sarcastically. "I thought we could stay here until the sun sets, and have a romantic freaking dinner of raw corn under the stars!"

Something close to a growl spilled from her teeth, effectively forcing Percy to keep himself in check. "We'll need each other's help," she stressed.

Percy's eyebrows raised condescendingly. No way would he let little Miss Know It All push him around. "I'll need _your_ help? What happened to 'I've been here _loads_ of times'? You still got stuck in the same situation as me – having prior knowledge. No, thanks. I don't want your help, blondie."

Her gray eyes burned into his harshly, and he knew he was going to get it this time. She stepped forward, jabbing a finger into his chest. "You think you're so big and tough. You aren't any better than me, city boy. Stop acting like it."

"I'm not better than you? Correct me if I'm wrong, but even your supposed _friends_ are trying to get rid of you. Me? I'm barely their family. They don't need to pretend to like me. But you...They didn't _have_ to leave you out here with me." Being so mad about the situation, he didn't let himself think before he spoke. His filter had dropped and let loose all the tact he had actually possessed.

He knew he had done it when her eyes starting growing misty, the color sparkling a silvery gray that unnerved him to no end. Her voice shook as she spoke. "You know what, Percy? Take away all your sarcasm and anger, what's left behind? – A scared little boy in a strange new world. That's all you really are. A city boy pushed way out of his element."

He wanted to protest, then. But she was right. So, aggravatingly, grudgingly right. He had no argument.

"Sorry, Dorothy," she spat. "You aren't in Kansas anymore. Welcome to our world."

When Annabeth whipped away from him, her shoulders were shaking. Her posture was stiff, and Percy's guilt finally started to set in. He had never in his life pissed off anyone to this extent – especially a girl. Whether Annabeth was the most infuriating person he'd ever met or not, she was still a lady. And his mother had raised him better than to treat one like scum.

"Annabeth..." he started, regret moving lips with words he wanted to say, but couldn't find.

"Save it." She held up her hand, back still turned. "You don't think I'm worthy of working with you? Fine. I hope you get lost out here."

With that, she was stomping forward through the tall growth of plants, leaving Percy behind to gape. He'd admit it stung a little bit, but at the same time, he thought he probably deserved it, too.

It only took a second's decision to follow her.

Percy might have said otherwise, but maybe he did kind of need her help. In the moment, he'd tried to prove something, saying she was useless. But the truth was he was completely clueless about all of this. Especially since he couldn't _see_ over the plants. He would have started walking in circles without even knowing it.

Trying to catch up with her fast pace, he swore when leaves whipped at his face. "Annabeth, wait," he called.

She ignored him, her honey blonde curls bouncing as she hopped through the maze.

"I'm sorry, okay?" Percy gave in. "I went too far."

Finally, her movements slowed, but she still didn't turn around.

"Thalia and Jason...They care about you. They're always getting on me about treating you better. And I..._do_ need your help."

The words were like spoiled milk in his mouth. He hated every second of it.

When she faced him, he was surprised to see her smug smirk absent from the features of her face. "Are you ready to get out of here, now? Because I don't feel like missing lunch to spend time with you."

Percy let an infinitesimal smile crack his hard face. "Ditto."

Her lips pursed as she looked around, forming a plan in her head. Gray eyes flung back and forth until she stopped and looked at him. "Get on your knees."

He blinked. "Uh, what?"

"You heard me." She rolled her eyes.

Hesitantly, Percy appeased her command and dropped on all fours. He didn't know why he did it. Maybe he just figured a nerdy girl like her would have some scientific way out of this mess.

To say Percy was stunned when Annabeth climbed on top of him would be an understatement. She stepped onto his back, her shoes scuffing his shirt as she tried to get higher in the air.

"Alright," Annabeth said. "I can't even see the house. We're probably somewhere in the middle. Which isn't exactly a good thing."

Percy held back a sarcastic retort. "What are we going to do?"

Stepping down from him, Percy wasn't surprised when she didn't offer him a hand up. He'd started that trend after all. "I have an idea, but you're not going to like it."

Not too fond of the sound of that, he reluctantly gestured for her to go on. The girl sighed before wincing and saying, "If you let me onto your shoulders, I can guide us back. Otherwise, we'll be out here all night."

Yeah, he _really_ didn't like that too much. "That's all you can think of?" he prodded desperately, changing his mind about her science skills. They sucked.

"Do you have anything better?" she snapped, crossing her arms. "Believe me, it's not my first choice either, buddy. But there's no other way out of this."

As Percy contemplated growing old out here, living off of raw corn and building a camp somewhere far away from Annabeth in this field, she spread her arms impatiently.

"They're just gonna keep doing this, you know," she said, grinding her teeth. "You don't know them as well as I do. If we don't start acting civil to each other, we'll end up locked in a closet for two days – and don't doubt me, because it's happened before."

Percy let that sink in, his hands rubbing the skin of his face tiredly. "Why am I not surprised you haven't gotten along with people before this? You're just a _pleasant _lady."

"You're obviously not getting the point, you dunce!" she shouted, whacking the backside of his head. "Just crouch down and let me on your shoulders so we can go home!"

Seeing no other way around this, and really, _really_ upset about that fact, Percy kneeled grudgingly, letting his head fall so Annabeth could climb onto him. Her legs swung over his shoulders as she hopped on – wobbly at first, but she steadied herself quickly, patting his head to let him know he could rise.

Once he was standing, he heaved a dreadful sigh. "Which way, Captain?"

* * *

**C****herry Wine – Hozier**

**It's long again. Jeez, I can't follow my own rules. (and these update times are beautiful)**

**Bella**


	6. Should I Shake Your Hand?

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or the song Summer Girl. All rights go to those deserving.**

**Chapter VI: Should I Shake Your Hand or Should I Give You a Kiss?**

* * *

**PERCY**

"Jeez, you weigh more than Jason!" Percy groaned, tightening his grip on Annabeth's knees as his shoulders throbbed from the pressure of her weight.

Indignant, she protested, "You're not s'posed to tell a girl she's fat!"

"Lucky there aren't any girls around here!"

Maybe he deserved that sneaker to his sternum.

"Left," she commanded, tightly pulling at his hair to steer him in the direction.

Percy pinched her knee cap. "You know, I'm not Linguini from Ratatouille. I'm capable enough to understand simple English commands."

It was quiet for a moment. "Percy, no shit, you literally just turned right." She tugged his hair roughly to _correct_ left. "You might wanna rethink that last claim."

Pink blossomed on his cheeks, and he was glad she couldn't see it from where she was sitting on his shoulders. He had no idea what he ever could have done to deserve something as cruel as this fate. It felt like some higher power was up in the heavens right now, laughing and wiping tears from their eyes at Percy's terrible luck.

Tripping over a fallen plant, he almost lost his hold on Annabeth. Lucky for him, she understood balance and where to lean, because she evened them out as he steadied himself. He gripped her calves tighter to his body and set off again.

Not that he cared if she fell off. It was just that if she went down, he was going with her. And that couldn't feel good.

"Try to walk straight there, kiddo. I think I can see the house."

Relief felt almost sweet enough to forget the rumbling in his stomach. He didn't think he could last another moment with the girl. All they'd done was fight and bicker for what seemed like hours. Not to mention the position was extremely awkward. He never thought he'd have Annabeth's ass so close to his head.

"I'm so hungry," he whined, thinking about Aunt May's waffles this morning.

"Me too," she agreed. "Even you're starting to look appetizing at this point."

"Well, you're not allowed to eat me. So, tough luck." He turned into a new patch of tightly compacted plants.

And _of course_, just then, there was a sudden pinch at the top of his ear. It ached instantly, and Percy was struck dumb, his mouth dropping open. "Did you just _bite_ me?" he shouted.

"Huh. I guess I did. Looks like I don't like to be told what to do."

This girl was going to be the absolute death of him.

"I can't believe you just bit me," Percy breathed, his left hand coming up to cradle his now sensitive ear.

"Believe it," she muttered. "I might do it again, if I get hungry enough. You'll start to taste like a cookie at some point."

Percy didn't know why he was baffled at this girl talking so openly about her hunger. But it could have something to do with the fact that the teenage girls in he knew were always so...secretive about it. Almost like they didn't want guys to know they actually required some form of sustenance to survive.

The more he thought about it, the more stupid it sounded. Why were girls like Rachel and his other ex-girlfriends so afraid to admit they were craving a 20 piece Chicken McNugget? Obviously, Annabeth wasn't. _Go figure_. Still, some part of him was actually curious.

"Annabeth, do you eat McDonald's?"

Her voice held confusion when she said, "...Uh, yeah. Everyone does."

"Do you like it?" he inquired.

"It's like ninety-eight percent salt and fat. Of course I like it."

He hummed quietly. For some reason, it almost felt... _refreshing_ that she hadn't gone off on a spiel about diets and how bad fast food was for a growing teenager.

Whoa, he did not just think that.

"Why the sudden interest in my food preference?"

"'Cause I plan on taking you out to dinner," Percy deadpanned, turning a little to the right when she commanded him.

She snorted. "Good luck gettin' me to show up."

Smiling a little, Percy boasted, "Please. If you had an opportunity to date me, you _so_ would."

"Keep telling yourself that, Percy," she sighed, amused.

They were quiet after that, and that was when Percy realized they had just talked. And hadn't even started shouting. He didn't have the desire to slam her into a wall either. Was that some kind of a feat?

It was weird because it didn't feel like a bad change, actually. He blinked, taken back. But he guessed no one was exactly _fond_ of twenty-four/seven hostility.

"Percy," Annabeth suddenly addressed.

_Well, that lasted long_.

"Hmm?"

She hesitated before she spoke, like she hated what she was about to say almost as much as he would hate hearing it. "You know we have to treat each other better once we get back, right?"

Charcoal eyebrows scrunched as he tilted his head up, looking at her. Her eyes were set on the horizon ahead of them. "Uh, why?"

The blonde laughed like his utter blankness amused her. He could see the it shake through her chest from the angle he was looking. His eyes whipped away fast. "I wasn't lying about that closet thing. A guy named Leo Valdez and I hated each other at first. Now, we're best friends."

"The guy from the crusty sedan," Percy guessed, remembering the girls jumping up from the truck to greet the boy who drove by.

"That's right," Annabeth said. "Anyway, if we keep clawing at each other's throats in front of those two, we'll find ourselves stuck in a lot of situations like this. And I know you don't want to spend your entire summer with only me for company."

Percy shuddered at the thought. He wondered how it was so much easier to talk to her when she was on top of him. Briefly, he considered whether it was because he didn't have to look into her scary eyes, or if it was just that they both subconsciously knew that their feud in this particular situation would end up with both of them eating dirt.

Truthfully, he didn't want to play nice with Annabeth. She was an angry and arrogant girl with an attitude sour enough to pucker his lips. But in no way was he looking forward to spending two days trapped in a closet together for his stupid cousins to prove a point.

"So, we have to be civil," Percy summed up, parting another row of stalks as he pushed through them. He hated that he had to make nice with a girl so...not.

Annabeth sighed. "You know, it would be a lot less stressful if we just ignored each other. We don't have to be friends – we don't even have to like one another. Just have to be polite and forget each other's existences."

Tilting his head to the side, Percy thought about it again. Although the girl was annoying and aggravating beyond belief, it wouldn't do to have another day like this. Trapped in a corn field, sweating and starving. And he was wary to make a promise to act polite, but honestly, he also was a little tired of the petty arguments and fights between them. She had a point – they could play nice if they really tried.

_Whoa_, he did _not_ just think that.

"It's a...deal," Percy confirmed hesitantly, lifting up his right hand to where he thought hers would be. She awkwardly twisted her arm to shake his hand, cursing as she almost lost her balance.

"Deal," she breathed once she regained herself.

After that, they continued on silently, not speaking unless Annabeth had a direction to point them into. "We're almost out. A couple of more minutes."

Percy smiled in anticipation, clamping his hands more firmly around her legs as he quickened his pace. He was starving and if he never had to see another ear of corn in his life, it still wouldn't be long enough. He was sure someone could go crazy if they were lost out here by themselves, surrounded by nothing but the same looking rows of corn for miles.

But he wasn't thinking he was glad Annabeth was out here with him.

No. Definitely not.

Really.

They might have been civil, but he still didn't like her. That fact wasn't going to change because of a simple truce.

But then part of him still thought he didn't really know her all that well. Maybe she wasn't a terrible person, as hard as that was for him to believe. He'd just have to see how things worked out for the rest of the summer. They could possibly even bond over their newly found mutual hate of the Grace children.

It was a few minutes later that Annabeth squealed – a terrible girly sound he never thought he'd hear from her. Then he realized they must have been close to the exit, and Percy broke into a full out run, Annabeth bouncing uncontrollably on top of him.

She managed to lean forward, her arms clamping around his neck as he ran them through at a dangerous speed. "Shit! Percy, slow down! You'll kill us!"

"Not before I get my lunch!" he grunted, finally breaking through the edge of the corn field.

Immediately, the sun was more intense and bright, blinding him for a half a second. He could have laughed out loud, because it felt like they'd been in there for hours. They were finally _free_.

"Took you long enough," he heard someone say. Whipping around, he came face to face with Thalia herself, a smirk cracking her cheeks. Her and Jason eyed Percy's position with the neighbor's daughter, and if possible, their smirks grew. "What did we miss?"

"Looks like it worked out better than planned," Jason inputted, crossing his arms over his chest.

That was when Percy remembered that all of this was _their_ fault. They did this on _purpose_. He flung Annabeth off of his shoulders and tackled Jason to the ground.

"You, motherfucking, asshole-licking, Satan-humping fiend!" Percy growled.

Jason was laughing. Laughing. And Percy swore he almost lost it.

"Have fun?"

Annabeth stood up from the ground then, brushing the dirt off her butt and looking rightfully pissed. Percy would have gulped had her glare been directed at him. He had thrown her into the dirt mercilessly.

"What the hell, Thalia? You left me out there with that idiot!"

"Aw," Thalia roused. "It seems to me that you weren't bothered _too_ much about it. Seeing as he gave you a piggy-back ride home."

Still trying to wrestle his cousin, Percy grunted in protest to Thalia's statement. But he was much too focused on trying to pin down Jason. The kid was unmovable and he just sat there smirking like Percy wasn't even putting up a fight.

"Of course it wasn't like that!" Annabeth shouted,angrily pulling her hair out of it's ponytail again. "We couldn't see where we were going, dumb ass! We could've seriously gotten lost out there!"

Thalia waved that off. "We would've come and got you past nighttime."

Loudly, Annabeth groaned. "You wouldn't have known where we were! We obviously would have moved from the spot you left us! You would have no idea where we went! _If_ we even stuck together, because trust me, we almost didn't."

That was when Thalia started to look a little sheepish. "Oh...Well, I guess I didn't think of that."

"Leave the planning to me, why don't you? There are too many stories of kids getting lost in cornfields in this part of the country." Roughly, Annabeth rubbed her face, like she was already trying to remove the memories from their awful trek.

Percy stopped wrestling Jason, jaw falling slack. "Was that last bit true? Do kids actually die out there?"

"All the time," the blonde sighed. "Let's just get back, okay?"

Gulping, he stood off from his cousin, mustering up whatever he had left in him for a glare and following Annabeth's trail toward the house. He was hungry and frustrated and really, really sweaty. It wasn't enough to have the sun's blazing heat boring down on him for hours on end, but literally on top of that, he'd had Annabeth's _body_ heat adding to his own.

"I'm never letting them take me anywhere again," Percy muttered, falling into step with the girl and sending a scowl over his shoulder at the two walking behind.

Her jaw was tight. "I know. I'm _so_ not staying for dinner, tonight."

"Jeez," Percy groaned. "You're gonna leave me alone with them?"

It seemed like they realized what he had said at the exact same moment. They turned toward each other, sharing an incredulous look before busting out into laughter.

"You make it sound like you actually want me 'round," Annabeth remarked, wiggling her eyebrows playfully. "Maybe you really _do_ wanna take me out to dinner."

"Nah." He shook his sweat dampened hair out of it's set and reached over, shoving her shoulder playfully. "I still can't stand you, squirt."

"Good," Annabeth said, smiling at him. "No amount of corn will ever change that."

For some reason, he couldn't help but think her smile was a lot more fun to be around than her scowl.

…

"No." Percy shook his head. "Absolutely not."

"Come _onnn_," Thalia pleaded, her blues eyes widening like that of a puppy. "We said we were sorry! Everything turned out okay in the end."

With an struck look, he exclaimed, "Okay in the end? Thalia, if Annabeth hadn't been some kind of super genius with really good ideas, we would have starved out there!"

The punk rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. At some point we would have called the police and they would have used a helicopter to come get you or something. It really wasn't that big of a deal. So, what? Annabeth got on your shoulders. Was that really such a bad thing? She's not an ugly girl, and with your attitude, that'll probably be the most action you'll get all summer."

Percy wanted to protest that he didn't need action in Arkansas when he had a pretty redhead waiting at home if he decided he wanted her. But he knew it wouldn't fly well with Thalia. "Doesn't matter, Thals. You meddled and I can't trust you to take me anywhere."

"Percy, I promise—I _swear_ there's no funny business this time around. This will be our apology to you."

"How is going into town a way to make it up to me?" Percy asked. Ever since dinner ended, Thalia had been trying to convince him to tag along with the others for their ride tomorrow. Percy didn't think he could ever trust his cousins after the day he'd had, though.

"When's the last time you've checked your text messages?" Thalia started off casually, examining her nails like she hadn't just played a very desperate card. "Probably since before you came here."

It was true. Percy hadn't been able to talk to anyone outside of this state since he was at JFK. The idea appealed to him, and almost just like how Jason had convinced him into joining them at Shadow's Creek, Percy asked, "What are you guys going to do there?"

Thalia bit her bottom lip, forcing off her smile. "Drop by a few stores. Maybe we could introduce you to a few of our favorites. The library even has computers..."

"Computers?" Percy tried not to drool. His mind was screaming at him to remain strong and not give into the temptation, but he couldn't help himself. "Well, I haven't even been able to make a Google search in over a week..."

"That's the spirit!" Thalia exclaimed, clapping him on the back. "I promise, tomorrow will be fun. No more corn fields with Annabeth, though she is tagging along."

Maybe Thalia expected him to whine and complain about that, and truthfully, some part of him did want to. But he kept his cool. "Okay."

"What do you mean 'okay'?"

He frowned. "I mean okay. Annabeth's coming. I understand English – most of the time."

"And you're cool with that..?" It was almost funny how taken back his cousin looked.

"Look, Thals," Percy sighed, running a hand through his hair as he shifted on his bed. She sat at the foot of his mattress, her head tilted to the side in confusion. "Annabeth and I agreed to stop fighting. Just so you guys will get off our backs. So, I'm not going to keep being an asshole – if I can help it, at least."

His cousin smiled like she was really happy to hear that, and Percy figured she probably was. In a totally unexpected move, Thalia surged forward and engulfed him in a hug, whispering thank you's against his shoulder.

"It means a lot that you're trying, Perce. That's really sweet of you."

He rubbed her back. "It was Annabeth's idea," he muttered.

Thalia chuckled against the fabric of his shirt. "Still. Thanks."

A smile he couldn't fight formed on his lips. He really did love his cousin, no matter how many stupid things she did to him and his well-being. "Anytime, Thals."

* * *

**A Lack of Understanding – The Vaccines**

**Thanks for reading. What do you think of Percabeth making the deal/truce thing? Did it happen too fast? Should I draw out the fighting?**

**Hope you likeeed**

**Bella**


	7. Lend Me Your Eyes

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or the song Summer Girl. All rights go to those deserving.**

**Chapter VII: Lend Me Your Eyes, I Can Change What You See**

* * *

**PERCY**

Percy blinked wearily as he tromped down the stairs, still hating the creak on every third step. His skin felt warm. Baked. He figured it to be due to the heavy amount of sun exposure yesterday, even if Annabeth had acted as his human visor and shielded most of the harsher beams.

Breakfast ended up being pretty quick that morning. He was starting to get used to the Grace family routine. He wasn't exactly sure what to make of that. What would he do once he got back to New York? Would he have to actually adjust back into his _old_ lifestyle after months in Arkansas? He certainly hoped not.

When Annabeth had arrived the same morning, she came bearing that little sketch book she'd had the day before. He tried for something close to a friendly nod in greeting, but it was still more than painfully awkward between the two, and no truce could change that.

She seemed to appreciate his effort though, because she gave a hesitant smile in return. The small interaction hadn't gone unnoticed by Thalia, and really Percy would have been surprised had she _not_ commented. "D'aww! Y'all _are_ trying!"

"It's a nice change," Jason murmured in agreement, smiling but keeping his attention on the TV ahead of him.

Percy cleared his throat. "Thank you for making this even more awkward than it already was, dear cousins. Really appreciate that."

Annabeth huffed out a laugh as she took her seat at the table. Flipping open to a clean sheet in her book, she slipped a pencil out from the spiral ring and began to outline something across the width of the paper.

"What are we doing today?" she asked, not looking up from her sketch. Jason was still distracted by whatever mindless cartoon was playing this morning, because he didn't answer.

"We're going downtown. And Percy agreed to come! - Even though he doesn't trust us anymore."

"I'm not sure I trust you, either," the blonde grumbled. "I mean, I can understand leaving _him_ out there, but I'm your friend. You actually like _me_."

"It was for your own good," Thalia tried to convince. "Life is a lot easier when we ain't ripping each other's jugulars out."

"Words of wisdom," Jason agreed quietly.

Percy rolled his eyes. "C'mon. At least it would have been fun pissing each other off. I mean, can you imagine all the pranks and schemes we could have set against each other?"

"Yeah," Annabeth said. "But now we both have a common enemy that isn't allowed to be ourselves...So, watch out Grace kids. I play dirty, and I'm sure Percy could learn how to roll around in the mud a little, too."

"Are you saying you two are plotting against us?"

The girl only shrugged. "Guess you won't know until it actually matters, huh?"

If Percy had been in their position, he truthfully would have felt a little scared. Because Annabeth really wasn't someone you wanted to get on your bad side. Shrinking back, he set his dishes in the sink again while the other kids finished up.

Soon, they were all loading into the truck again, Percy and Annabeth both wary of the day to come.

…

Percy didn't know what he expected when they said "downtown", but he sure didn't think it to be a narrow street with a row of broken down two-story, family owned shops of different purposes on each side. Thalia mentioned something about the owners living on the top floor as they used the bottom for their stores. He could sort of understand that, seeing as the buildings essentially _were_ houses, just with really big front windows.

Still, it was odd to him. If he was being honest, he'd admit it was cleaner than New York by an almost embarrassing amount, and it smelled a whole lot better. Some mix of warm grass and dry air.

The sidewalks didn't gleam exactly. Webs of cracks sprouted from the clogged drain slots, little blades of grass grew through the breaks. They'd left the truck by the safest looking part of the road – only hoping the asphalt wouldn't crumble under the weight.

Their footsteps clapped on the old concrete as they continued past the old stores. Percy saw one advertising guns and hunting gear, while another said something about being some sort of repair shop.

Holding his cell phone over his head, he prayed for service. His thumb was aching from the repetitive motion of refreshing the thread of messages in his inbox, and the others were laughing at him, but he couldn't care less. He hadn't used his phone in close to _two_ _weeks_.

Jumping up onto a bench, Percy's eyes stayed glued to his phone as he stretched it higher. And then, _finally_, one bar. A single bar that he was going to make great use of.

"Yes! Sweet mother of our messiah, yes!"

He didn't have to look at the others to know he was making a fool out of himself. He didn't care. His phone sprang to life, vibrating in his hand as his messages were finally able to come through.

One text from Grover. Three from Rachel. And his mom had called him more times than he could count on both his hands.

Shooting a quick text back to Grover, he went through Rachel's messages. Basically, she had just said she missed him and asked how the "hick life" was working out for him. He might have replied something like, _help me._

"How long are we gonna wait here for?" Thalia yawned, stretching her arms over her head as she plopped next to his feet on the bench.

"I've got to call my mom." He rose one leg onto the back rest of the bench, shifting himself higher so he could achieve a better connection. He flicked the speaker option as it rang his apartment's land line - seeing as he wouldn't be able to touch his ear to the phone from its height.

It was several rings before anyone answered. And when a gruff voice came through the headset, Percy could have groaned. "What?"

"Hi, Gabe," Percy grumbled, forcing out a disappointed huff. Maybe he had been looking forward to talk with his mom a bit.

A thick chuckle sounded from the ear piece, the sound crackling in his ears. "I can't barely hear you over all that static. What, brain boy? Not that much cell towers in Texas?"

"What?" Percy asked, shaking his head at the stupidity of his stepfather. "Are you serious? I'm in _Arkansas_, you moron."

Jason snickered behind him, coming up to rest against the back of the bench. Annabeth came and sat on Thalia's lap – Percy's feet having taken up the available space left to sit. He was starting to regret being on speaker, knowing everyone was now listening.

"Don't sass me, boy," Gabe growled. "What you calling for?"

Percy rolled his eyes. "Where's my mom?"

"Busy."

He waited for more clarification, but when it didn't come, the boy sighed.

"Busy with what, Gabe?" He knew his exasperated parent voice would piss off his stepfather a lot, and that was kind of the point.

"Working."

Now, Percy was just annoyed. There was no point in staying on the line with the man. Especially when he wasn't even holding up his side of the conversation. So, Percy hung up, dropping down and slumping on the bench.

"Stepdad?" Jason asked.

"Yeah." Percy didn't want to talk about it. And he definitely didn't want to admit he was pretty upset about not being able to speak with his mom.

"He sounded like an idiot," Annabeth mentioned, leaning back and dropping her head on Thalia's shoulder. "_Not that much cell towers in Texas? What you calling for?_" Her mimick of Gabe's voice had them all letting out amused laughter.

Percy scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, he definitely won't be on Jeopardy anytime soon."

They chorused in chuckles, the atmosphere feeling more comfortable than it had a few minutes ago. "So, whadda we do now?" Thalia asked, twirling one of Annabeth's curls around her finger. Percy watched as the blonde ringlet bounced back to the girl's shoulders, wondering what that would feel like if he did it.

Shaking that thought away with an internal "_Whoa_", he pursed his lips. "This is your guy's town. You tell me."

"Movie rental place?" Jason suggested, nodding his head down the street.

"Is that all you have?" Percy didn't understand how even their _town_ could be so dead.

Annabeth turned to Percy. "We could go to the library."

He blinked. "You said something about a movie store, Jase?"

That earned him a slap on the arm, and he wasn't even sure it was from _one_ person. "They have computers there, Perce," Thalia convinced.

Perking up at this, he turned his gaze onto Thalia. "Internet?"

"It's shoddy and there are only two of'em. But it gets the job done."

Percy thought that was a fair deal. Standing up and stretching his legs, he said, "Alright. To the library."

Annabeth looked like she really wanted to roll her eyes, but was bound by their truce to restrain herself. Huffing, she got up from Thalia's lap.

And maybe Percy thought the truce wasn't _all_ bad.

…

For some reason, he already expected the library wouldn't be like the one in New York.

Obviously.

But that wasn't all. The public library in New York looked sort of like a museum. Sleek and modern with lots of glass fixtures – Not that Percy had spent much time there, but Rachel used to go to rallies and protests that sometimes were held in front of the building, and when Percy would get bored of watching her stand completely still and do nothing, painted in head to toe gold, he'd figured he had nothing better to do.

The library there seemed to have had every book ever written. He remembered it was his mom's dream to publish a novel and have it end up on one of their shelves.

But here in Arkansas, there library was...well, old.

They didn't have all that much to choose from, considering the size of the place. It looked like it hadn't been remodeled in...ever. The shelves were made of carved wood, the ceiling arched. Little lamps hung down, lighting the place in dim, yellow glow.

Dust permeated the air more than actual oxygen. The selection of books ranged from old classics to old classics.

Annabeth loved it.

The Grace children didn't seem to mind so much – like they had already done this with their best friend a thousand times before. The two shuffled off to a back corner with a couple plush armchairs and a stack of magazines from what looked like the 1980's while Annabeth grinned and sauntered into the rows of bookshelves.

Percy spotted a corner with two desks pushed up to face the other, each with a dinosaur of a computer placed on the surface. He shrugged, shuffling across the patterned carpet to one of the wooden chairs and sitting himself down to use the PC.

The first thing he did was check his email, and he was surprised to see he had only missed out on one party invitation. Most of the messages were just ads from Apple or music suggestions from Pandora.

After that, he wasn't exactly sure what to do. Back at home, there was always a website he wanted to check out, or a game he wanted to play. But right now, he was at a loss.

He felt someone drag a chair up next to him and turned to see Annabeth taking the spot beside his computer. She pulled her sketch book out from under her bag and opened it up to the page she was at this morning. He didn't really know why she was right there, so he shot her a confused look.

Annabeth glanced up from her notebook. "Trying to be friendly. You look like you're out of ideas." she explained, dragging her pencil across the paper in a long line.

"What happened to the whole 'ignoring each other' thing?" he asked, shifting in his seat to face her.

Pursing her lips, she stole a glance over her shoulder at the two siblings, idly flipping through magazines and not even pretending they were reading. "Yeah, well, it looks like those two won't be entertaining you and I'm just as bored as you are."

He didn't believe her.

"You? You're bored in a library? Annabeth, I may not have known you long, but I'm not _that_ stupid. I know this place is like your dweeb playground."

She punched his shoulder, her cheeks growing pink, but she still smiled a little. "Okay, so maybe I lied."

"What are you _really_ doing here?"

The skin of her nose scrunched up and she looked uncomfortable. She adjusted her legs under her. "I guess I have a question."

"You guess?"

"I do."

Percy frowned. "Out with it."

"Well..." she drawled, not really making eye contact. And that was strange to Percy. She was always very straight forward and sure of herself. "I was just wondering about...you know, maybe the buildings... From your home."

He felt his eyebrows dip. "Buildings? My apartment?"

"No- Well, maybe yes. I mean..." She trailed off, her head falling into her hands. She looked embarrassed. "Actually, nevermind. Forget I said anything."

"Wait, no." He didn't know why he wanted to understand what she was asking, but it was something about New York, and he knew there weren't going to be many times in his summer here where _Annabeth_ wanted to learn something from _him_. "What were you going to ask?"

She shook her head. "It was stupid."

"I'll be the judge of that," he told her, crossing his arms and leaning back. He was challenging her.

And she was weak.

"Skyscrapers," she blurted out. Cringing, she shrunk back a little after that. "Ya know, pavilions. Monuments. Things like that."

He opened his mouth, but no words came out. "What do you want to know?" It wasn't like there was an actual question paired with those seemingly random words, he was admittedly a little confused.

She grimaced before rushing out, "Could you tell me about'em?" Her head nodded toward her sketchbook, indicating for him to look. Leaning over her lap, he saw pencil lines splitting the page, outlines of the Empire State Building traced onto the thick paper of her book.

"Wow," he said, squinting his eyes at her art. Nothing was making sense to him. "So...You like...skyscrapers? You, as in Annabeth Chase, detest-er of all things urban, have a thing for...skyscrapers?" Disbelief thickened his tone and he tilted his head to the side.

Sighing, she flipped her book's pages in front of his eyes. All sorts of drawings filled the pages in a gray blur of buildings and statues and columns. "Architecture," she corrected. "I have a thing for architecture. And truthfully, Arkansas is lacking quite a bit in that particular area."

Percy nodded, telling her it was okay to go on. "I guess I've always wondered about all those buildings in the city. And it would probably help me if I had an insider's view, seeing as I've never been out of the state."

He contained his surprise at that little tidbit of information, focusing more on what she was asking him. No, he'd never thought Annabeth would ask something like this, but at the same time, he also never thought him and the girl could have a civil conversation.

Most of all, he was confused, because he was pretty sure he was supposed to be ignoring her, but he felt a small inclination to actually continue the conversation. They weren't fighting. Sure, it was still disgustingly awkward, but he could talk about New York. It was easy – preferred over most topics, even.

"Sure," he breathed, sitting back in his seat again. "But what do you want to know?"

She shrugged. "Anything you're willing to tell me."

Scratching the back of his neck and puffing his cheeks out, he didn't really know where to start. So, he just began with what he knew. "Uh, well, I'm from Manhattan. The upper east side. I live in a three-story apartment building that looks sort of like a row house."

She was still listening, carefully outlining a string of houses in her book. He decided it was safe to go on. "How they work is that each story gets a different tenant. So, we have flats – one whole story belongs to one family. The third level is ours. Um, it's made up of some type of concrete. The roof is flat and there's some kinda molding on the top, all carved and stu-"

"Cornice," she offered absentmindedly, sketching out the patterned siding on his roof.

"Uh, right. And it's got this window that sort of sticks out-"

"Oriel window." She glanced up at him briefly. "What shape is it?"

"Like a square," he answered with squinted eyes.

The blonde hummed, her pencil rapidly flying across the paper to sketch out a cube shape. His eyes widened at the fact that he could actually tell what he was looking at, even though she'd never seen his house before. "You're pretty good," he said without thinking.

She looked up again, a little smile on her lips. "Thanks." Flipping the page again, she came to a clean sheet. "Tell me more about the Empire State Building."

So, he did.

He did his best to explain the many buildings he'd grown up around, but never paid much attention to. Annabeth wanted details – details he'd never cared to learn about.

The way she watched him – almost like she was in wonder – made Percy think she sort of looked like a child in that way. Like a kid seeing their first candy store. She'd said, "go on" about fifteen times, but he didn't comment, seeing as she wasn't being mean to him. Or getting angry.

"I'd love to visit one day," she admitted, closing her sketch book with a sigh.

Percy was surprised, because seriously, he thought she hated everything about the city. Mostly one of the green-eyed residents (_cough—_Percy—_cough_) She blushed when he mentioned it. "It's one thing I'll admit to liking about the city. Those buildings – They're stunning. Pieces of art."

It was almost like opening his eyes, this realization that, yeah, those skyscrapers _were_ pretty amazing. And to a girl like Annabeth, who as a little girl grew up with the most modern work of architecture being her grocery store, she had to have thought New York's skylines were marvelous.

"You should go see them one day," he told her. "New York isn't all bad – Well, maybe for you. I don't really know." He wasn't really sure. Annabeth was a curious creature and he didn't understand a single hair on her head. Not to mention, he was pretty sure he didn't like any of them either.

"I want to go," she confessed with a wince. "One day, I might."

But it didn't look like she was convincing herself, either.

* * *

**Awake My Soul - Mumford & Sons**

**I don't know how swell these updates will be after this. FFS is lacking in update time, and I want to finish that before I focus everything on this story.**

**Bella**


	8. The Ice in Me is Melting Rapidly

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or the song Summer Girl. All rights go to those deserving.**

**Chapter VIII: The Ice in Me is Melting Rapidly**

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**PERCY**

"I'm so bored," Percy groaned loudly, sliding off the couch and curling onto the floor. He ignored the smell as usual, focusing on anything to alleviate the thick feeling of inactivity around him.

Annabeth sat a little straighter in her chair on the other side of the room. "Well, when you think of a better suggestion, let us know, O Wise One."

In the past week, Percy and Annabeth had actually gotten on fairly "okay" terms. After their discussion in the library, it had become easier to talk without jumping down the other's throat. So, he guessed that was good.

He would admit they weren't "friends". Their relationship was something a little nicer than tolerating each other.

Now, he didn't want to let his cousins know that truthfully... Annabeth wasn't _as_ _bad_ as he originally thought. Once they'd given each other a chance, he could say she was _sometimes_ easier to talk to than Thalia. A whole lot smarter, too.

One day, she had even explained to him the Pythagorean Theorem – something that no teacher could ever hope to teach him. He didn't remember how it came up into conversation, but suddenly, they were both on the floor and she was explaining "A-squared plus B-squared equals C-squared," with a hastily drawn triangle in her sketch book.

Maybe giving Annabeth a chance at peace between them wasn't _such_ a terrible idea – at least he could understand the Geometry homework next year.

It did feel nicer to get along, though. All the fighting was pouring on more stress that he didn't need, and now he didn't _as_ guilty when he stared at her for a second too long down at Shadow's Creek.

Thalia broke him from his thoughts with a loud burp. "Maybe we could go down to the abandoned house. We haven't been there in a while."

"What're we gonna do once we get there?" Annabeth asked, shifting on the recliner to lay with her head and feet on the two armrests, horizontally staring up at the ceiling. "Play poker?"

"Strip poker?" Thalia suggested.

Jason's head was shaking before his sister even thought of it. "I don't think so, little girls."

"I ain't no 'little girl'. I'm older than you! Anyways, who are you afraid of—Percy?" The punk threw the black-haired boy a casual look. "He's our _cousin_, so he won't be making moves on us. And I'm just _sure_ him and Annabeth are dying to look at each other naked – Recognize the sarcasm there."

Percy felt his face heat up and he stuffed himself deeper into his curled position, hiding his cheeks from view. Whether him and Annabeth got along or not, people needed to understand he was a teenage boy. He couldn't control what his mind told his body it wanted to see.

"Well, it's not happening," Jason declared, standing up as he left for the kitchen.

He wouldn't be hanging out with them anyway, seeing as he had a date with the Piper girl from before.

Annabeth let out a long breath. "So, now what're the options?"

"We could watch another movie," Percy recommended.

The two girls shook their heads. They'd been doing that every night this week. Thalia growled as she stood up. "We might as well just go down to Shadow's Creek, 'cause y'all can't think of anything better than sitting around and moping. Percy, you look like you're in a fetal position."

"I am," he agreed, hugging his knees tighter to his chest.

"We can't," Annabeth complained. "The weather channel said it was gonna thunderstorm."

"I'd rather get struck by lightning than just sit here!" Thalia yelled. Her hands angrily dragged through her spiky hair as she threw herself onto the couch where Percy had originally sat.

Annabeth pursed her lips, obviously trying to come up with something before Thalia lost it. "Percy, when you get bored back home in New York, what do you do?"

Frowning, he lifted his head out of his chest, looking at the blonde. He thought about it. "I'd play video games."

The girls groaned, another idea shot down. Eventually, Annabeth got up from her seat, looking aggravated. "Thalia, you're right. I'd rather get struck by lightning than just sit here."

The punk shot up from her spot on the couch. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"Guys," Percy tried to warn, but they weren't looking at him. "This is _not_ a good idea."

"Shut up, Percy."

It came from two voices.

…

They were walking through the woods, on their way to Shadow's Creek. It was becoming clear to Percy that these two girls didn't give a rat's behind about what he thought, because even after what seemed like hours of protest, they still dragged his sorry ass out here.

The trail they had worn into the ground was ingraining itself into Percy's head. He remembered when to turn, where to step without rolling down a hill. It wasn't all that different without Jason. The two girls had enough personality to carry on any conversation by themselves.

Lifting his head up, he unconsciously held a hand over his eyes in shield from the sun before realizing it was pointless. The sky was overcast, the dark clouds moved fast through the air.

"Don't you guys ever get bored of this?" Percy asked. "Swimming here, like, five times a week, I mean."

Thalia spun from her perch on the log she was trailing. "Not exactly."

That didn't make all that much sense to him. "But you do the same thing each time you come here..?"

"No," Annabeth rejected. She matched his pace, falling into step on his left. "Not every time we come here. We think of new things sometimes."

Percy shot her a look. "You swim. Blondie, to me that sounds like the same thing."

There was sudden a stinging sensation running over his left arm, and from the resounding _smack_ sound, he knew Annabeth had hit him. "What was that for?" His hand came up to rub the now red skin tenderly.

"A skeeter got'cha."

"Excuse me?"

She rolled her eyes, giving him an obvious look before enunciating each word for him. "A Mo—ski—toe was eatin' you."

"Mosquito? Why didn't you just say that?"

"I did!" she protested, looking like she was about to smack another one of them buggers off of him.

"Do you guys need to be put in another corn field?" Thalia teased, not glancing at the two as she walked about five feet ahead of them. Percy and Annabeth shared a glance, and surprisingly, it was a smirk.

They'd been discussing how they could gain revenge over the two Grace children for that specific stunt they'd pulled. But Annabeth was being the difficult one. Percy wanted to lock them in the girl's basement, but she thought her dad wouldn't let her. She wanted to just "pull a prank on them or something" – she was their friend, after all – but Percy thought that was too soft.

And she had replied with, "You don't know what I'm capable of coming up with."

He decided he would just trust her for the time being.

Finally, they arrived at the wide stream of water. It looked a dark umber in the paling light of the day. All the normally bright colors around him were darker, more pronounced. Thalia's pale skin glowed, her little freckles standing out against her face.

Like usual, the girls held no hesitance as they stripped down to their intimates. He'd learned to hold back his blush that so desperately wanted to be let loose. It was becoming something he'd grown used to.

When it dawned on him that he should be stripping, he looked down to find khakis dressing his legs. Blanching, he swallowed, looking up to see the two girls with smirks tickling their faces.

"What's wrong, Perce?" Thalia asked innocently, swishing the water back and forth as she swung her arms. "Run out of basketball shorts?"

Annabeth laughed. "Percy can't come in," she roused, her whole body screaming challenge. "He's too scared of us seeing him in his undies." Her shoulders were thrown back. Her head was held high. Her chin was out. She was doing it on purpose.

"That's not it," Percy brushed off. "I'm just scared of gettin' a leech on my balls. And as a man, I'd say that is an acceptable fear."

"There aren't any leeches in this creek," Thalia told him with a sugar sweet smile. "And I don't think anyone or thing wants to be sucking on y-"

"Thalia!" Annabeth scolded with wide eyes. "Enough!"

His face was burning, but he was getting used to Thalia's crude humor. "That's nice, Thalia. I'm glad we're all _super comfortable_ now."

She only threw her head back, cackling.

Sighing, he looked from the water, to his own clothes. Was he really too insecure to swim in his underwear? The answer was no. He definitely wasn't. Because that would imply he cared about what the other two thought – and he didn't.

Annabeth wasn't in the water yet. She could see he needed a push. "Do it, Percy." She jabbed him in the gut with her elbow each time she repeated herself. "Do it, Percy. Do it, Percy."

He stripped.

"Woohoo!" Thalia cheered. "Join the party!"

"This is not a party. I do not wish for other people to know I participated."

"Oh, shut up."

It came from two voices.

"I'm getting really tired of that," Percy mumbled, sliding his pants down his legs.

As he made his way into the water, Thalia whined. "Aw, c'mon! Where are the aquatic baby mermaids?"

"Thalia," he warned, jutting his chin forward and sending her a look that meant business. "You shut your mouth, right now."

"That sounds familiar," Annabeth mused, dropping into the water until it was up to her waist. "What are you talking about?"

Percy swallowed. "Absolutely nothing. Thalia's stupid."

That got him a pebble to the forehead. "You deserved more than that, jerkoff."

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled, rolling his eyes.

The water was actually pretty cold, sending a shiver up his back as he waded into the clear liquid. The mud was soft under his feet, squishing between his toes. It seemed like Percy wouldn't grow bored of this creek. Even if he did complain about coming here so often, it was still a pretty special place to him and he did enjoy it.

Just as Annabeth joined the two cousins in the water, a shadow passed over her. The clouds above were tumbling through the air quickly, rolling over one another and looking like they were racing. Percy, in that moment, knew the weather man had been right when he'd predicted a thunderstorm.

The girls, however, didn't seem to care of the rapidly dark growing sky. Thalia had found the rope connected to the tree a few feet away, and was swinging back and forth before she let herself go and fall into the water.

Annabeth cheered. "Sweet!" Her clothes were left folded on the large rock Percy usually liked to sit on. His eyes stayed trained on the creek below him, watching his legs move while the image was morphed by the fractured light in water. He was sure it wouldn't be pleasant to be caught looking at her any longer than he should have.

A cold breeze of wind blew through the trees, rustling the dry leaves and making the dark clouds stand out even further against the once bright blue sky. Percy swallowed.

"I'm hungry," Thalia complained, stepping out of the water to dig through her backpack.

"We didn't bring lunch," Percy reminded her as she kept searching. But she didn't listen to him, and he watched as the front pouch revealed a Slim Jim.

Thalia grinned as she unsheathed the stick of meat from its plastic wrapper. Mouth watering, Percy's eyes stuck on Thalia's food. "What you got there, Thals?"

"Mm," she hummed, smirking at him like she knew what he was thinking. "I love Slim Jims. I bet you do, too."

His eyes squinted at his cousin. "Are you trying something here?" Suspicion colored his tone as he took a step back, wondering how harm could come to him in the form of dried meat – but with Thalia, anything was possible.

Pale hands swirled the meat stick around, wafting the smell closer to Percy's nose. His stomach growled, letting him know its allegiance in the current situation. Traitorous.

Annabeth laughed from a few feet away, and he had a feeling she knew exactly where this was going.

"You want it, Perce?" Thalia asked innocently as she waved it through the air once again.

"There's a price," he stated. He wasn't so naïve as to fall into her scheme without proper background information. Maybe.

"There _is_," she applauded, sounding like a teacher when their student answered a question correctly. "But it's small."

"I doubt that."

"Smells salty," Thalia remarked, pushing the Slim Jim closer to his face. He could have drooled. It wasn't _fair_. It totally wasn't fair because he was a _teenage guy_. And food was just about as enticing as boobs.

Eh. Almost.

"What do you want, Thalia?"

"I bet you're too much of a pussy to skinny dip."

He might have choked on his own breath.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, city boy."

From behind him, he could hear Annabeth chuckling. He was suddenly missing Jason – the only one that could have saved him from this situation. Like hell, Annabeth would rise to his defense. She was enjoying this as much as her best friend.

His mind desperately tried to think of a loophole or some other way out of the issue, but he was blank. Annabeth was the smart one. If she had been on his side, there would have been something. She would have _thought_ of something.

He decided he needed to get her to side with him – if he didn't, Thalia would have teasing rights for the rest of the summer, because he refused to swim in less than what he already was wearing.

"Annabeth." He turned around to face her. She stood in the creek, smiling widely. Water leveled at her knees and her arms crossed against her chest. He kept his eyes on her face in attempt to stay focused. "Do you really want to see me naked? Because that's where this is going."

"I think it's worth the nightmares I'll be getting for the next month," she quipped, raising a challenging eyebrow. "Why the sudden care about me? You aren't _chicken_...are you?"

It was the oldest taunt in the book, but...

"I'm not chicken," he declared, lifting his chin.

"I beg to differ," Thalia cut in, making a pointed look at his quivering hands against his hips. "You look a little shaky."

"Annabeth," he tried again, a last-ditch effort. "You don't-"

He was cut off.

Thunder squawked above, breaking the calming sound of nature around them. The loud intruder had the three kids jumping at the surprise.

"Shit!" Annabeth shrieked as rain started to poor from between the thick branches of wood and leaves. But she was smiling – laughing, even. "Okay, we should go now!"

"You think?!" Percy shouted, jumping out of the water and grabbing his clothes in one hand. He didn't bother putting them on as he took off running in the direction of the truck. He wasn't keen for getting struck by lightning.

The girls too grabbed their clothes as they all booked through the woods, trying to escape the most of the storm. Percy threw tree limbs and bushes out of the way as his feet thudded against the sloshing mud.

Squeals of laughter from the girls behind him had him turning around quickly to see what was so funny. They were laughing and smiling and looking like they were having _fun_. Even though they were getting _wet_ and weren't wearing _clothes_ and splashing _dirt_ all over their legs.

He didn't get it.

Girls were a curious species he could never hope to understand. He'd come to terms with that a while ago. But as they continued to hoot and holler, he had to ask. "What's so funny back there, ladies? I'm pretty sure we're all about to become wet ash."

"Lighten up, Percy!" Thalia shouted. He felt something hit the back of his head that felt suspiciously like an acorn.

The boy only grumbled. Closer, they got to the truck. Their clothes were soaked, heavy and dripping in their hands. And at some point in the running for their young teen lives, Percy had some kind of an epiphany.

Like, maybe he should be laughing with the girls. He was stressing over something he couldn't control. He was already wet and had nothing left to lose. Why _not_ have a little fun with it?

Slowing down, he made a sharp turn to the left. He could almost hear the girls' confusion. With a quick idea, he scooped up a handful of mud from the ground and waited.

Just as Thalia passed the tree he hid behind, he let loose his snowball of dirt, and it collided with the side of her face easily.

Time seemed to stop.

Almost mechanically, she halted, her hair swinging forward from the action. Slowly, she turned to him, her shocking blue eyes immediately finding his. Mud dribbled down her face, marring the pale, smooth complexion she had.

She only whispered one word. "Run."

And he did.

Thunder clapped above him, the dark sky lighting up from the electricity. The sounds of his feet stomping against the ground was almost lost in the storm. He could hear Thalia behind, yelling as she chased after him.

Annabeth laughed at the two. "Run, Percy!"

It only hyped him up. She had to have known first hand the danger of Thalia's rage. Something like that could only be learned from experience he knew she had. He pushed himself harder.

"_Fuck_," he cursed, chancing a daring glance behind him to find his cousin closer than he had figured. He wasn't going to make it.

"I've got your ass now, Buddy."

He gulped.

Rough hands clutched his bare shoulders tightly and threw him to the ground. He yelped as his back slapped the mud, splashing it up and dousing Annabeth. The girl swore, but she had nothing on her best friend's sailor slurs. Percy didn't even recognize a few of the words – and that was a feat. He was from New York, and thought he had heard it all.

Clumps of mud were smashed into his face, some even traveling up his nose as Thalia straddled his knees and gave him payback. Sure, it was extremely unpleasant, but he was laughing. It was...funny, actually. Thalia looked at him like he belonged in a psych ward, the way he was laughing after she had just shoved dirt up his airways.

But after a few seconds, she began to laugh, too. At some point, Annabeth joined in and they were all laughing, wiping tears from their eyes as they took in the sight of each other dressed in mud.

He wasn't sure who's idea it was, but a war had exploded among the teenagers. Wet dirt flung between them as the storm continued above. Suddenly, there wasn't really a rush to get back to the car.

Percy's face and chest was caked with gritty, half-dried dirt when they finally stopped to catch their breath. Thalia's hair was matted to her head, and Annabeth's face missed the butt of the fight. It was mostly her body colored muddy. Percy forced himself not to look for too long because he was pretty sure some people had fetishes about this kind of stuff.

Breathless chuckles barely escaped their throats by the time they made it back to the truck. The rain was coming down hard by now, and the thunder sprang at closer intervals.

With the truck before him, Percy bit his lip. Jason was going to _kill_ him, but he had no choice. They were all soaked and muddy and gross, but had no other way home. Sighing, Percy hopped into the driver's seat and cringed as his muddy boxers rubbed the sand into the fabric.

Thalia clicked her tongue from shotgun. "My brother won't be happy," she sung, batting her eyelashes.

Scowling, Percy shot her a look. "It was your idea. If you think for a second that I'll take your blame, you've got another thing coming."

"You started the mud war, Jackson."

"And you wanted to come out here in the first place."

"So did Annabeth!"

"Don't bring me into this!" the blonde called from the backseat. She hugged her muddy knees against her chest, her body quaking in shivers.

Realizing she must have been cold, he reached into the backseat for his jacket he'd brought. Sure, he was pretty cold. And yeah, he wanted to wear it, but Annabeth looked so pitiful, he couldn't help to hand it to her. "Here." He shoved the material towards her.

Her eyebrows creased. "I'm all muddy."

The boy sighed, shoving it toward her again. "I don't care."

"Don't you want it?"

"Annabeth, just take the damn coat!" Thalia rolled her eyes from the front seat, trying to get the heaters to come on by jabbing and flicking at all the buttons in reach. Percy had never been more glad for the A/C's "cool" setting not working, because truthfully, he was pretty chilly.

Annabeth grabbed the coat from Percy's hands, offering a weak smile in thanks. Fastening his seat belt, Percy started the engine and it roared to life off to the side of the narrow road. He pulled onto the asphalt and started their way home.

* * *

**Take It Easy – Surfer Blood  
**

**I don't even know how to write short chapters anymore. Everything after the storm started is rushed, but I don't really feel like fixing it? So I hope you liked :)**

**Bella**


	9. We Were Nothing Like The Rest

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or the song Summer Girl. All rights go to those deserving.**

**Chapter IX: I Began to Notice, We Were Nothing Like the Rest**

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**PERCY**

"Can we get your 'Super Supreme Pizza'?"

The cashier was still gaping at them, his square jaw slack and eyes wide as he took in the three mud-slathered teenagers. Percy rolled his eyes, because honestly, at least they bothered to put their clothes back on before coming in.

It was extremely uncomfortable, but for these people's sake, he had shoved himself into his stiff and soaked clothes. Annabeth, to the left of him, cringed and pulled Percy's jacket tighter around herself, embarrassed at having to come into Pizza Hut like this.

Huffing, Thalia reached over the counter to flick the cashier in the temple. Percy had been surprised at her boldness until he heard her address the boy by his name. They must have known him. "Frank! Make with the pizza, would you?"

The cashier, Frank, blinked, taking a step back as if to capture the image better. "What happened to you guys?" he asked.

Annabeth sighed, flicking a strand of wet hair from her face. "It was raining. And these two idiots started throwing mud at each other. From then on is a blur."

"At least your face is clean," Thalia muttered, her hand coming up to scrub the dirt from her cheek. "I'll have to deal with blackheads for weeks."

Using her hands to adjust herself under Percy's jacket, Annabeth looked uncomfortable when she frowned. "Yeah, but I think I got sand in my bra."

Frank visibly gulped in front of them, quickly turning around and calling over his shoulder, "I'll be back with that pizza!"

"Bummer," Thalia answered to Annabeth. "But it's going to take forever to get all of this out of my hair."

"It was your own fault, honestly." Annabeth shrugged.

The punk laughed. "Percy's fault," she corrected.

"Hey!" he protested. It was everyone's fault. Not just his. Jason was going to blame all of them, or just Thalia. Percy would not be getting the blame.

Thalia huffed again as she leaned against the counter. Percy could hear her stomach gurgling from where he was standing. "Hurry up, Frank!" she yelled into the kitchen.

"Didn't Luke used to work here?" Annabeth asked after another couple walked in the front doors, drenched with rain. She shifted in her wet shoes and they squeaked against the tile floor.

"He quit, I think," Thalia supplied, scrunching her nose in thought.

Percy tilted his head to the side. "Who?"

"Old friend."

The short tone of voice Thalia used had Percy dropping the subject. Lucky for him, Frank had just entered the dining area with a flat box of pizza in hand, sweating bullets like he was scared – which Percy figured couldn't be a new thing for this poor kid. He practically oozed anxious energy.

Trying his best not to seem threatening to Frank, Percy made his movements slow and deliberate as he took the pizza box from his hands. He handed it off to Annabeth as he pulled his wallet out of his wet khakis.

Unfortunately, even Percy's leather wallet was soaked, including the cash inside. Frank frowned as Percy slipped him a wet twenty dollar bill. "My boss won't let me take this." Frank tried to scoot it back over.

But Thalia wasn't having any of that. Something close to a growl escaped her throat. "We already have the pizza, Frank. Just go blow-dry it in the men's room or something. Y'all don't got those fancy hand dryers for nothing."

The boy looked like he wanted to protest, but even Percy was smart enough to know when was a good time to go against Thalia – and that was never.

Frank sighed as he handed Percy a few dollars back in change and muttered a pitiful "have a nice day," as he made his way to the employee restrooms.

"That was mean, Thalia," Annabeth chastised, kicking her best friend in the shin as they ran from the Pizza Hut to the truck, trying not to soak their food.

The punk scoffed as she hopped into the car. "It wasn't that bad," she waved off.

"You'd better hope he doesn't get in trouble with his boss, because I swear to God..." Annabeth pushed a sigh out of her mouth, giving Thalia a serious look. "How many nice people actually _like_ us? Stop scaring them off!"

"Don't bring L-"

"I'm not bringing him into this," Annabeth cut in, defensively folding her arms. "I'm just saying that it wouldn't hurt to be polite."

It didn't look like Thalia was really buying that, but still, she let it go.

By the time Jason's truck was bumping along the rocky gravel driveway, the smell of the pizza had permeated every inch of space within the car and Percy was having trouble keeping his eyes on the road. The only thing keeping Thalia from ravaging the food was Annabeth's current spot in the backseat – holding it just from Thalia's reach.

It was still raining when they ran to the house. Percy jumped up the steps, skipping the first and third as he swung the screen door open and bolted into the safety provided by the dry house. Not bothering to hold open the door for the two ladies behind him – one who was bearing his lunch – had earned him a flicked temple. Thalia did it the same as she would chastise a dog.

Jason still wasn't back from his date, and most of Percy was relieved for a couple reasons. First being that the truck was still a mess and Percy hadn't yet figured a way to shift the blame from himself to either one of the girls. The other being that Jason ate like a garbage disposal – just about anything could get devoured. Including the Percy's "Super Supreme Pizza."

He kicked off his muddy boots by the door, taking extra care to move them out of the traffic path so Aunt May wouldn't trip over them. She couldn't see that well at night. After slipping up the stairs quietly, Percy changed into dry clothes quickly and made his way back into the living room, where the girls had just finished setting out a stack of paper plates and plastic solo cups. Annabeth dropped the pizza box onto the coffee table and sunk into the sofa behind it.

"We're back at square one," she muttered despairingly, shoving her face into the cushions as she stifled her groan. Percy sat on the floor by her feet, popping open the soggy lid to the box and smelling the delicious fumes that wafted out.

"Not necessarily," he corrected, pulling out a cheesy slice and almost drooling at the way the mozzarella stretched. The round pie was speckled with chopped pieces of smoky brown mushrooms, black olives, sausage, and green peppers. The smell was intoxicating. "Now we have food, and I'd say that's progress."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, smiling, and reached for her own slice. Thalia plopped next to her best friend and immediately laid a head on her shoulder. "Hand me some."

The next few minutes were quiet, Percy's jaw working too hard to chew than to worry about speaking. The girls didn't seem to mind, and he figured everyone was feeling pretty hungry – especially after Thalia's meat stick tease.

Instinctively, Percy creased his slice vertically down the middle, touching the two side edges together as he brought it into his mouth. Greasy goodness dribbled out the other end of his folded pizza, but he was able to catch it with a napkin before it made an orange mess of oil on his hand.

"What the heck are you doing?" Annabeth asked, cocking an eyebrow at the food in his hold.

Percy frowned. "...What?"

"Your pizza," Thalia clarified. Her black hair flopped to the side when her head tilted. "You made it into, like, a panini, or something."

"Huh?" He looked down. "Oh. I just folded it."

"Why?" Annabeth asked again. Her own pizza was laying across both of her hands as she blew on the cheese to cool it down.

His eyebrows furrowed. "I don't know. You guys haven't ever folded your pizza before?"

Thalia snorted. "Why would we?"

Percy pondered it for a moment. It had never seemed weird to him before – folding his pizza in half to stuff it in his mouth. It was normal. He didn't think about it, really. A lot of people ate it that way. "To get more food per bite?" he guessed.

"That's so weird," Annabeth laughed. "Is it a New York thing?"

"I don't think so," he said. "No one's ever questioned it. You guys are the weird ones."

"You New Yorkers talk funny, too," Thalia inputted, leaning forward and tossing her paper plate onto the table in front of her. "_I can't git to werk widdout mah cawffee._"

A laugh bubbled from his throat. "What the hell was that?"

"How yankees talk!"

Rolling his eyes, he nodded sarcastically. "Do _I_ sound like that?"

"When you get angry," Thalia affirmed with a wide smile. "_'Da fuck, Annabeth? Stahp bitching at'me.'_" Her imitation was less than flattering and Percy let his mouth fall open in indignation. He did not sound like that, and couldn't remember a time where he had ever uttered the words "Da fuck" together.

Annabeth giggled. "They really do talk weird, don't they? '_I'm about to get mad bake with my homies._'" Her hands formed some kind of almost peace signs, her lips coming out in a purse. He figured she was trying to look like a "gangster."

And he didn't want to laugh, because they were making fun of _him_, after all. But the look on Annabeth's face was priceless and he couldn't hold back. "I don't sound _anything_ like that."

His hands came up to rub his face in attempt to shield his amusement from their view – but he knew they had caught him.

"You totally do, Percy. You just can't tell." Thalia shrugged as if to say, _Whatcha gonna do?_

He rolled his eyes. "As if your guy's accents are any better! '_I reckon y'all came out yonder for a guud time!_'"

Thalia scoffed, her face melting into something less lighthearted. "Excuse you? We don't talk like that."

Percy just looked at her.

"We're not having this conversation right now," the punk muttered, pointedly reaching for the remote and switching the TV on.

It would have been a great distraction probably – _cough, not_ – But before she was able to flip the channel and truly end the discussion, a shockingly loud stretch of thunder rolled over the house.

The television sparked and the ceiling lights flickered until they were suddenly swathed in darkness. A faint glow seeped in through the bottoms of the curtains, but aside from that, Percy couldn't see the hand he held in front of his face.

"Really?" he asked no one in particular, feeling around the carpet in front of him as if the ground underneath him would have disappeared too.

"Fantastic," Thalia grumbled. Percy could hear the two girls to the left of them, and figured they were still on the couch. Using his hands in front of them like feeler-antennas, he felt around as he stood up and shuffled closer to where he figured the couch was.

One of the girls squeaked as he fell down onto the seat next to her. Seeing as he made it to the actual cushion and didn't hit the floor, Percy didn't find it all that necessary to move out of his spot, but he did adjust himself so he wasn't squashing Annabeth.

It was quiet for a few seconds. The rain pounded the roof above them and thunder still crackled from the sky. The room still smelled like a mix of pizza and cigar smoke. The fabric shifted under him and from what he could determine, Thalia had gotten up.

A sound like metal sliding against metal met his ears, and he turned to the noise. Lightning lit up the room briefly to reveal Thalia pulling the drapes back from the window. The second curtain screeched even louder as Percy's cousin dragged the old metal rings that held the fabric across the pole.

"When did it get so dark?" Annabeth asked. Her voice was a whisper near his left, like she thought she had to be quiet in the silence of the eerie storm.

"The sun's setting," Thalia explained. She crossed her arms as she leaned against the wall next to the window, scrutinizing the outdoor world. "Though, you can't tell 'cause all them clouds."

Percy felt the girl turn around. Her face was close to his, though they couldn't see each other with the lack of light in the room, he could still feel her breath on his cheek. He swallowed thickly.

"Do you think Jason's all right?" Annabeth pulled the throw blanket from the head of the couch cushion, and the material resisted against his back. He leaned forward to let her tug it around herself. "Where did he say him and Piper were going?"

Thalia hummed, it sounded like she wasn't really paying attention. "Uh, the movies, I think."

Perking up, Percy felt like a puppy who'd just been whistled to. "There's a movie theater here?"

"Downtown," Annabeth sighed, pushing a chunk of her hair behind her ear. "Barely a cinema. I think it can hold, like, thirty people."

He nodded, feeling a bit relieved that he'd found another piece of budding civilization to work with. Thalia returned to the couch, taking her seat next to Annabeth again.

"We can't catch a break today," she pointed out. "Every time we find something to do..."

"It goes to shit?" Annabeth suggested.

"Exactly."

Percy's lips tugged into a frown. "I'm sure we can find something else to do."

"Like what?" Thalia asked.

Looking around the room, he tried to squint through the darkness. Although his eyes were adjusting to the black, he could really only make out the outlines of the coffee table and TV cabinet. He tried his best to let ideas come to him, any thought he could remember having considered in this room, he let slip into mind.

The scratchy fabric of the couch underneath him fueled into an idea Percy suddenly had. It was funny how quick his mind melded into an engineer, studying what he could see of the cushions and how he could fit them together if he just...

"Let's make a fort."

"Uh...What?"

Though, it made sense to _him_, kind of. "No, seriously." Because he knew they thought he was pulling their legs. "Let's box the cushions around the couch and pull a blanket over the top and-"

"Hold up, speedy," Thalia said, raising her arms in a halting motion. "Why would we even want to do that?"

But he knew he had Annabeth.

"No, wait, Thalia. I think he's onto something."

Percy grinned, because he knew. He just _knew_ that even if they were planning to make something out of century-old sofa cushions, Annabeth was enough of a googly-eyed architect to latch onto the idea and run with it. "Yeah, Thalia," he teased. "I'm onto something."

His cousin rolled her eyes. "Since when did you two start agreeing?"

The way Annabeth smirked at her friend impressed Percy. Thalia would _have_ to be wary now. "You'll see soon enough. Just remember that we still haven't forgotten the whole leaving-us-in-a-corn-field-to-die thing." Her smile was sugar sweet and entirely poisonous.

Percy couldn't remember how he had been brave enough to fight with her.

Luckily for him, Thalia seemed to give in after that. They worked together, moving furniture around in the dark room to Annabeth's highly specific standards – which were sort of annoying, because it wasn't like she was doing much other than "supervising," and Percy and Thalia were doing all the hard work. There was only so much they could manage in the current circumstance of limited vision.

"To the left," Annabeth commanded, pointing what was probably her finger, but Percy honestly couldn't tell. "The desk chair goes to the left."

Percy picked up the wooden chair and he set it down to the side. It wobbled a little, understandably, because one of the legs was about a quarter of an inch shorter than the others. He heard Annabeth snort.

"What?" he almost whined, looking at the rickety pile of wood and wondering how he could screw up such a simple task.

"Am I going to have to tug your hair to show you where your left is?" She was holding back laughter.

His face felt hot, and he thanked whatever higher power there was that it would be impossible to see it through the darkness. "Whatever," he muttered, picking up the chair and just about throwing it to the actual left. "I thought you meant _your_ left. And it's not like you're helping at all."

"Excuses," she giggled. "I'm the brain of this plan. You guys are the brawn. Well, Thalia is at least..."

"What am I missing out on?" Thalia asked suddenly. Percy almost forgot she was still in the room. "Tugging hair and different lefts. It's like y'all are friends or something."

Annabeth heaved a sigh from her nostrils as she turned to her friend. "You abandon us in a field for three hours, force us to get along, and when we actually do, you're _baffled_ by it. What is it that you want, exactly?"

"Didn't think it would actually work," Thalia mumbled, returning to stretching a spare bed sheet over the mountain of dining chairs and living room furniture. It successfully morphed the skeletal image into something a bit more...livable.

Percy would admit him and Annabeth's relationship wasn't...normal. They started off poorly – hating each other's guts. Then, they somewhat tolerated each other. But now, Percy was at the point where he would confess that she wasn't _that_ bad. Annabeth was still the same annoying and arrogant neighbor's daughter from his first day in this town. It was just that now...he was beginning to understand her a little better. Finding the microscopic good within her.

What they were to each other – well that was confusing. Less than friends. But still kind of friends? And at the same time, one would think they were more than friends, the way he stared at her when they go to Shadow's Creek. He didn't know. He didn't think there was an example he could use to compare them to. They were Percy and Annabeth. It wasn't labeled. They didn't fit into a chunk on a chart. He didn't even know if he liked her as a person or not.

They just weren't normal.

After a few more (bossy) adjustments from Annabeth's part, Percy was left with a stubbed toe, splintered finger tips, and a cousin nursing a bruised knee with an ice pack. But they also had an igloo of furniture. A fort.

Annabeth just about squealed as she crawled through the entrance – which was just a part of the fort where the sheet was held up by an umbrella basket.

He kind of wanted to flick her, because it wasn't like she did any of the freaking work. But of course she was the first to reap the benefit of his hard-paying construction skills.

Percy and Thalia fought to get in next.

She shoved him in the gut with her bony elbow, so he figured he would put the "ladies first" moral into act, and let her through before him.

The inside was cramped. There wasn't a lot of space. Pillows lined the perimeter of the tent, and Percy collapsed onto one as a peel of thunder ripped from the sky above. "Okay, nap time."

"After all that work, you just want to sleep?" Annabeth shook her head. "Weak."

Both Percy and Thalia just stared at her.

"Hey!" she protested, already knowing where this was headed. "Thinking is work, too!"

"Shut up, Annabeth."

It came from two voices.

* * *

**Mountain Sound – Of Monsters and Men**

**I hope you liked it. I mean, they aren't at each other's throats at least. :) heh**

**Bella**


	10. Watch What You Say

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or the song Summer Girl. All rights go to those deserving.**

**Chapter X: Watch What You Say, The Devil Is Listening**

* * *

**PERCY**

So, he supposed she wasn't useless.

Because it _was_ a pretty good idea, after all.

Annabeth smiled like she knew what he was thinking as she brought a chipped mug of coffee to her lips. She was sitting close enough for him to catch the scent of her wet hair. She smelled like some kind of flower. A tangy flower, kind of grassy, but enough zing to where it was almost...lemony.

"What do you think?" she prodded further, poking a finger into his bare calf. "We could even do it today."

It was only eight o'clock in the morning. Annabeth had apparently spawned an idea for revenge while in the shower, and just about skipped her way over to wake Percy and tell him about it. She sat at the edge of his bed by his feet, smiling like she'd just graduated with a degree in rocket science.

"It's..." He didn't know what to say. "It's a good idea, Annabeth."

She grinned. "That's what I thought."

…

He'd admit he was nervous. It wasn't everyday he would execute a plan that could possibly be his downfall.

His partner in crime sat on a rock to his right, still shaking from the threats Jason had sent their way. Now that Percy knew how his normally levelheaded cousin reacted to the mess in his truck, Percy was wary of the day to come.

He hoped Annabeth got most of the blame, seeing as it was her plan, after all. Her _brilliant_ plan that he was beginning to question.

Jason looked like he was still steaming as he waded into the water. The skin of his chest was red and there was still a little sand stuck to his legs from sitting in his truck. But Percy wasn't stupid enough to point it out. Thalia only smirked as she dropped into the water, not so much as moved by her brother's stony glare.

"I was gone for five hours," Jason seethed. "_Five_. And you managed to cake a week's worth of dirt into my seats."

"Oh, yeah," Thalia said. "How _was_ your date with Piper?" The girl grinned innocently, tossing a rock behind her after it had satisfied her attention for a few moments.

The tips of Jason's ears tinged pink and it had Percy biting his lip to fight off a smile. "It went fine. That's not the point-"

Thalia snorted, using her hands to cup some water and pour it over her head. "'_Fine'_," she mocked. "Did you get laid?"

"Thalia!"

Percy was surprised he hadn't been the only one to say it. But it looked like Thalia had been the only one _not_ scolding herself. "Oh, whatever." She rolled her eyes. "Guess not."

It was quiet for a few moments, and Percy exchanged a look with Annabeth. Her nod was imperceptible, but her smile was wide.

"Aren't y'all gettin' in?" Thalia asked, eyeing Annabeth's clothes that still donned her body. "What're you waiting for?"

Annabeth was quick, much to Percy's luck, because he was just about tripping over himself to get an inconspicuous answer out of his stuttering mouth. "We're gonna go look for the tube," she lied smoothly, digging her elbow into his side and dragging him by the arm to the line of trees. "Don't wait up, guys! I don't remember where I left it!"

"Are you sure-"

But they were already running away.

Annabeth let out breathless laughter as they hurriedly slid through the maze of wildlife and wood. "Oh, they're going to be _so_ mad."

"It's too late to back out," Percy reminded her, holding up Jason's keys that he'd snagged from the boy's shorts. He wouldn't admit he was having trouble keeping up with her pace, because that was just embarrassing. He tried not to wheeze as she pushed their speed.

She only hummed in answer – it was the best she could while stomping through the woods at _running-for-your-life_ momentum. She held out a branch for him as he tore through the outskirts of the woods. Their legs pumped harshly in the heated air as they scrambled their way to the truck.

Percy only spared a moment before zipping the keys into the ignition and flooring the gas pedal. The engine roared like choppy blades slicing through rock and Percy just _knew_ his cousins would be able to hear it. They knew they'd been tricked.

Leaving the two of them there might not have seemed like that harsh of a prank, but the idea itself was actually brilliant. Thalia and Jason didn't own cell phones. The nearest payphone was downtown, and no, they wouldn't make it that far. The Grace children would be walking home today – and lucky for them, the little thermometer in the truck, next to the speedometer, read one hundred and one degrees. It was sweltering.

Loud laughter came from the passenger seat and Annabeth looked like she could have been riding a roller coaster by the expression on her face. Her seat belt was left unlatched, and she sat on her knees, leaning forward and shaking her head excitedly. She squealed as the tires screeched against the cracked pavement.

"This is so exciting," she told him, her sparkling eyes set on the road ahead of them.

He spared her a glance, watching as she bit her lip and hopped around in the seat. A smile rushed his face before he could think to stop it. "Chill out, squirt."

And the funny part was, he expected her to roll her eyes or ignore him, but she was in too good of a mood. The adrenaline rush that existed from running for their lives in the woods and stealing their best friend's car was enough to overshadow any previous tension from the two. She turned to him with an even wider grin, kind of reminding him of the glittering waters of Shadow's Creek. It was a magical thing, really – what a little excitement could do.

Because Percy had a really weird urge just then.

Her smile brought attention to her lips. Percy wondered why he hadn't noticed them before. They were...really pink. The bottom lip was plumper than the top, making her look a little like she was pouting. They looked smooth. And warm. Kind of cute. Definitely kissabl-

"Oh, God. Is there something on my face?"

Annabeth's hands rushed up to her lips, startling Percy from his shocking thoughts. He cleared his throat sharply. "No. Uh, sorry."

Thankfully, she waved it off, focusing her attention in finding a decent station on the radio.

Percy thought about the way he'd woken up that morning. Blonde curls had draped over his head like a curtain. Annabeth's body leaned over his as she shook his shoulders to wake him up. The first color he'd been met with that morning was the same he had almost let himself get trapped in a few moments ago – thundercloud gray.

His heart was palpitating in his chest, because he had no idea what was going on in his head. His terrible, _terrible_, hormone-raging, teenage head. Percy wasn't stupid – he had wanted to...kiss her? Percy wanted to kiss Annabeth and now he kind of wanted to choke himself.

For the first time, he had felt this urge to lean forward and press his lips to hers. To feel her warm mouth against his. He entertained the thought of curbing his sudden desire, but that was—no. The thought was ridiculous.

The happy smile had long dropped from Percy's face and molded into something lost and angry. He sat back in his seat, completely unmoving, trying to figure out just what the fuck was going on inside of him.

What was he thinking?

If Annabeth noticed his sudden change of demeanor, she didn't let on. Her window was rolled down and her hair flung around the back of her neck as she smiled into the wind, oblivious to the turmoil within her "partner in crime." What would she think if she had known what was going through his head? Obviously, nothing good.

Confused and mad at himself, Percy clenched his jaw and shut off. His emotions, the tracks of his minds, and whatever he thought he'd felt toward Annabeth for half of a second. He refused the complication.

…

Percy needed something.

A sense of nostalgia had gripped his lungs and demanded some form of satiety. He needed a connection to his past – a reminder of where he was coming from, and why he resented the dump that was Arkansas.

That was how he found himself back in the library. The place was the same. High, wooden archways stretched over a narrow ceiling. Shelves seemed to be stocked with the oldest, most withered books anyone could find. Topics didn't range far. To Percy, he couldn't tell the difference between Shakespeare and Homer.

He had spoken to the book clerk once he came in, and the woman had offered him a deal. For the mere amount of four dollars an hour, she would let Percy use her webcam to connect with a friend over the internet.

It was enough for him. Just what he needed.

He gnawed at his lip as the little loading symbol spun around the screen of the thousand-year-old computer. Skype made a funny little tinkling noise as he waited patiently for her to pick up the call.

When the monitor exploded into a series of color which soon made up the picture of his ex-girlfriend's face, he let out a breath and smiled.

"Rachel," he breathed.

Her smile was like sunshine. "Percy," she said. "Hi there."

Percy had thought about calling his mother, but it just didn't seem like what he needed. And another encounter with Smelly Gabe was less than ideal. Part of him knew that Rachel was exactly the right person to help get his mind off certain things.

Around Rachel were blue walls Percy recognized from her bedroom. Bright green curtains hung behind her head, contrasting against the rings of her red hair. "You look great, Rach," he told her, noticing the skim of pink across her nose. She always did burn easily.

"You don't," she joked, her eyes soft. "You look like an insomniac."

He bit his lip to keep from blurting out that he _hadn't_ been getting sleep lately. Ever since–

His mind halted automatically, not letting it venture into the dangerous territory that was his little blonde neighbor. It had been only two days, but the memory was fresh in his mind. He felt...embarrassed of his half-second desire? His _mind_ didn't agree with what his _body_ was wanting, at least.

Kind of like drugs.

He refused to think any further about it.

"Well, waking up at the ass-crack of dawn every morning will do that," he said, sighing like it was big deal, but knowing that it wasn't. "Jason and his damn lawn mower."

Rachel frowned. "I'm sorry."

Waving it off, he focused his attention on anything that wasn't about Arkansas. "So," he started abruptly, keeping his eyes on the bottle green ones before him. "How's life been without me? How's New York?"

There wasn't much of a smile left on her face. A sigh pushed through her lips as she shifted in front of the camera, leaning her head on one fist. "I miss you, Perce. It's not the same here."

He wanted to be able to say the same thing honestly – that she had been on his mind twenty-four/seven and that he could barely survive with the loss of contact they'd had. But it wasn't the truth, and Rachel deserved more than just some weak attempt to make her feel important. He missed her, but she was the least of his concern at the moment.

"Have you talked to Grover?" Percy asked. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he registered the sound of the library doors opening and clicking shut. He only quieted himself enough so as not to disturb whatever lonely wanderer had stumbled in.

She shook her head slowly, the action swaying her tight red curls. "I haven't been talking to a lot of other people lately. Sometimes I hang out with Reyna...but she's not you."

The look on Rachel's face forced a pressure in Percy's chest. He felt a little guilty for leaving her to herself in New York. Before they ever dated, they were best friends. And Percy wasn't acting like a very good one lately.

Rachel had known Reyna for a few years, and although the girl was nice, she didn't click with his ex-girlfriend at all. They were exact opposites, like Chinese elements fire and metal. Rachel and Percy were closer, but he was gone. He left her.

He was about to tell her he was sorry, apologize for putting her into this loneliness. If he hadn't gotten smart with his stepfather, he might have still been there, spending the summer choosing the electives they wanted to take for senior year. They would probably still be dating and she wouldn't have looked so...down. But she interrupted him before he could manage any coherent words. "Are you making friends there?" she asked, her smile strained like she was trying to remain light. "With the 'hick life' and all?"

Discomfort tickled his throat. "Not particularly. I live with my cousins, and I'm pretty sure _they_ don't even like me." He grimaced at the memory of the Grace children coming back home two days ago, sweaty and dirty and all kinds of angry. Percy was fairly sure his arse was still bruised - Thalia was a fighter, no one could deny her that.

"You haven't met anyone else?" The way she said it made Percy know she wouldn't believe it if he told her no. How could he have moved to a new state and met no one but his family? It was highly improbable. But Percy really didn't want to mention Annabeth or any other stranger he'd met along the way. "I'm sure there's at least one person... What about that girl? Your neighbor? Is she still bitching at you?"

But of course Percy would forget the fact that he'd already complained to her about Annabeth.

He heard something that sounded like a heavy book drop to the floor from one of the aisles. Biting his lip, Percy went on hesitantly.

"Not really," he tried to sound nonchalant. "She's not as bad as I first thought."

Rachel's pink smile melted away slowly, replaced with something a little more bitter. "Really?" she asked. "How so?"

"Well, I mean," he went on, trying to find a way to make this conversation less uncomfortable on his part. "She helped me with math one time." It was weak. He knew that much.

"It's summer, Percy. You don't need math. Or want it from what I can remember. Surely you couldn't have changed _that_ much."

"No. It's just-" He didn't know what to say. Something rose up inside of him – impatient and eager to defend himself. "We haven't been fighting, really. We agreed to be nice to each other."

Her face screwed up, and a touch of hurt colored her tone when she said, "Do you..._like_ her, Percy?"

"No! Of course not!" His response was a little harsh, but he wasn't thinking about it. Rachel didn't believe him, and God dammit, he'd hurt her enough already. "I don't."

"I know that we aren't together anymore. It's okay if you _do_ like her." It wasn't okay. Percy could see that it wasn't okay at all for her. "You guys see each other everyday. I bet you hang out a lot. She's probably tan and beautiful. I mean...it all makes sense, really."

He shook his head quickly. "No, Rachel." Something close to panic was seizing him. He didn't know whether he was trying to convince his ex-girlfriend that he didn't feel anything for Annabeth, or himself. But his determination was strong – once he started, he couldn't stop. "You think it's my choice to hang out with her? Rach, c'mon. She's the only other teenager around for miles. I literally have no choice."

A sniffle came from her end, and Percy continued. "She's annoying and arrogant. She doesn't even wear make up – has that 'all natural' look that you _know_ I don't go for. All she ever does is bitch and complain about everything I do. The only reason I'm even friends with her is so I won't be abandoned in a corn field and left to starve."

It came out like word vomit. He didn't know why, but it was important that he made sense of this. That he could convince Rachel—and himself—that Annabeth wasn't anything more than a friend. Maybe less.

He was still confused on the whole matter. Whether they were friends or not. He thought they had been getting along better, and that they actually could be somewhat cool with each other at some point. But with new matters to keep in mind – like Percy's ridiculous teenage hormones – it was harder to see that.

Rachel took a deep breath in front of him. "You don't like her?"

"Not even a little bit." It felt like a lie. Maybe it was. He didn't _know_ any better.

It was quiet for a couple of moments, the only sound stimulating his conscious was the library doors again, but this time louder. Like they had been slammed.

"I miss you so much, Percy," Rachel admitted. Her freckled face was tired, her eyelids droopy. "I hope you come home soon."

His throat felt dry when he said, "Me, too."

* * *

**These Days – The Black Keys**

**(I've been waiting so long to use this lyric)**

**Someone asked about ages? They're both seventeen with canon birthdays. So, Annabeth's like a month older.**

**I have to go to a club today, this is being posted while I'm in school (off my phone). I'm sorry about any mistakes I might have left.**

**Bella**


	11. I Really Fucked It Up This Time

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or the song Summer Girl. All rights go to those deserving.**

**Chapter XI: I Really Fucked It Up This Time**

* * *

**PERCY**

Percy was confused.

Now, that happened a lot more often than he'd care to admit, but right now, his head was spinning.

He had a few days to think over everything from what happened with Annabeth in the truck, to talking with his ex in the library, and he had come to the conclusion that there was no way he had actually wanted to...do what he thought he wanted to. It was all just a misunderstanding of his own feelings on his part – the dry heat of Arkansas must have been messing with his head.

So, with that, he figured he could actually make Annabeth's company now without feeling uncomfortable – it was just a misread of his emotions, after all.

But she didn't seem to notice him.

It was two days after the Skype call. He had been carefully avoiding Annabeth since then, claiming to want some alone time, but really just not having the guts to face his fears. And while he stayed home and the others went out, he was brought back to his dreadful first days here. He needed a way to get out of it – that was when he discovered the "truth."

He didn't have to avoid her anymore, but it never occurred to him that Annabeth could have been avoiding _him_, too. It was only this morning that he came to the assumption that, yeah, it was all just a big mistake. And things could go back to normal.

Not quite.

As he left his room that morning, he expected to see three familiar teenagers sitting at the kitchen table, eating and talking about how they would take on the day. He felt excited about finally getting out and doing something, because Percy was just about dead in spirit from the boredom he'd experienced. He was surprised when he only saw one kid in the kitchen.

"Morning, Perce. How'd ya sleep?" Jason asked, forming his words around a mouthful of Captain Crunch.

"Fine," he answered, looking around the room. "Where are the girls?" The TV was turned on to Disney Channel. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse played in the fuzzy screen. Percy chose to ignore that as he looked at Jason for an answer.

His cousin shrugged. "I think they're going out by themselves today."

At that moment, Percy's other cousin sauntered into the room, carrying a towel in one hand, and a water bottle in the other. The second her eyes met Percy's, a scowl slit her face and she looked like she wanted to growl. His head jutted back in surprise.

"I'm leaving, Jase. Have fun with _him_." She spat the word like she was seriously sickened by the sight of him, and Percy blinked, wondering what in the hell he could have done to deserve a look like _that_.

"Where you going, Thals?" Percy asked, following her as she made her way out the door. In the driveway was a beat up sedan, a familiar Latino boy sitting in the driver's seat. Another girl sat in the passenger, and Percy knew it was Annabeth.

"What's it to you?" she snapped, swinging the screen door open and slamming back at in his face. Percy jumped back, admittedly a little angry at the way she was treating him.

"What the hell?" he spat, holding his hands out wide in question.

Thalia ignored him, making her way to the back door of the car and hopping in before Percy could even call after her. Quickly, he tried to make eye contact with Annabeth to silently ask what was wrong with Thalia, but it seemed like she was pointedly not looking at him. Her eyes bore into her lap, and her fists were clenched at her sides.

Just as Percy had been ready to go out there and demand an explanation for the hostility, the driver beeped his squeaky horn twice in goodbye, making a sharp K-turn and pulling out of the rocky driveway. The teenager had a feeling it was no coincidence these girl's decided to have a day to themselves. They were trying to get away from him, he knew.

But he didn't know why.

Jason came up behind him. "It looks like it's just me and you, Perce."

…

See, that hadn't been the truth exactly. After the stressful morning of dealing with girls, Percy _so_ wasn't in the mood to meet another one. But when Jason's "friend" Piper called the land line, his cousin immediately told her to head on over.

She was pretty, Percy would admit. Her choppy chocolate hair fell to her shoulders carelessly, and when he shook her hand, he noticed he couldn't really make out the color of her eyes.

Her grip was firm. Confident. "Piper McLean," she introduced, her smile shining.

"Percy."

When Jason deemed like handshake long enough, he cleared his throat. "She's a close friend of mine."

Stepping back, Percy couldn't help but admire Jason's choice in woman. She seemed like a right fit to him, someone who could kick his butt if need be. Percy approved. (Not that it mattered much. He could just about _see_ the crush Jason had on her, and nothing Percy said was about to change that.)

"So," Piper started, kicking her cowboy boot-clad feet onto the coffee table. "What are we doing today?"

"Anything," Jason told her, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Ya know, anything you want to, I'm good with."

She laughed, and even that was a musical sound. "Anything particular in mind, Jase?"

He swallowed. "Percy and I were talking about going mudding. I know how much you like that..."

Percy frowned. "No, we weren't-" He was cut off by an elbow to the sternum. "Oh, yeah," he croaked. "Now, I remember."

"That sounds like fun!" Piper exclaimed, hopping up from her spot on the couch and grabbing Jason's wrist. "I'm totally for it! Let's go!"

And so they went. Jason following after the girl like a puppy, and looking extremely happy about it.

…

Piper squealed as she shifted in the middle seat. She was sandwiched between the two boys, happily flicking through the stations on the radio as Jason drove the truck into what he liked to call "No Man's Land."

Settling on a Lynyrd Skynyrd song, Piper was content as they tumbled into the wilderness. Percy felt like he was going to be sick. The bumpy, uneven terrain of the trail was not helping as Jason drove entirely too fast through the throngs of trees and plants.

"Where are we going?" Percy asked miserably, leaning his head out the window as he tried to tone down his nausea. Lucky for them, Jason had spent the majority of his time cleaning out his truck, so the only noticeable dirt left was crammed into the speaker holes of the radio, where he couldn't reach to clean. And honestly, Percy couldn't even remember how it got there, because he didn't have any memories of stuffing a fist of dirt into the thing, but that particular day was blurry anyway. He'd never know if he did or not.

"Where the mud is," Jason explained, pointing to a dip in the soil up ahead. "When it rains, it's like a southerner's playground."

Percy could see what he meant. The two kids next to him seemed to feed off of each other's excitement, both something close to bouncing in their seat. Piper kicked her legs up on the dash again, and Percy just tried not to whine about his stomach.

Soon, the truck was stationed before a path of puddles, all filled with mushy gray mud. Percy bit his lip. He could actually _feel_ the anticipation radiating off the two teenagers to his left.

Taking deep, calming breaths, Percy only prayed to the gods he knew the name of. From any religion he could think of. Osiris, Hephaestus, Allah, Mercury, Thor, Elvis..."Please don't let me die with these idiots," he mumbled, pressing his hands flat together under his chin.

He felt Piper punch his shoulder, and _ow_, she was definitely born southern, because that hurt like a bitch, and she sure knew how to hit.

"I heard that," she said, but she didn't look angry. If anything, she looked a little proud at the fact that she had probably left a bruise on Percy's wimpy arm. "Let's do this, Jason."

The engine roared loudly, scaring off any nearby squirrels or birds. Smoke flitted out from the exhaust pipe, condensing into a thick black cloud behind them. Percy wondered what his friend Grover would think of such a thing. "Roll up your window, Perce," Jason told him as he stepped on the gas. They were off.

At first, Percy screamed. As the truck pummeled through the gallons of mud underneath, it splashed up and hit the windshield at what had to be at least a thousand miles per hour. Piper was shrieking excitedly, both hands clamped tightly onto the dashboard as she bounced around her seat.

Jason kept a strong grip on the wheel as he pulled through the wet trail. Muscles in his arms and neck popped from the strain, and Percy would be lying if he said he hadn't caught Piper peeking.

A wave of mud slung up from the tires as Jason pulled a hard right. The windows were streaked dark, and Percy wondered how the boy could even see enough to drive.

"I know this trail like the back of my hand," Jason seemed to answer Percy's thoughts. "I could drive it blind."

Piper grinned. "I'm having so much fun!" she yelled over the Classic Rock station she'd picked on the radio. "Why don't we do this more often?"

"I don't know," Jason laughed, sending a cautious look over to Percy. "How you holding up there, Perce?"

He was holding his stomach with both hands, but he managed a thumbs up. "I'm doing good, thanks."

Jason didn't look convinced. "You wanna turn around?"

No, he didn't. He knew how much fun Jason was having with Piper, and he'd be damned if he was the party-pooper to put an end to their good time. He shook his head. "No, keep going."

Maybe Percy regretted it at least a little bit. Because apparently mudding could go on for hours. And he didn't know if his stomach was just exceptionally strong that day, or if he was simply learning to cope with the car sickness, having lived in Arkansas for a few weeks now.

But when they had finally finished, and Jason pulled out of the woods, Percy was close to jumping out of the car and kissing the asphalt. Well, he would have if he could have seen it, but unfortunately, any part of the car that was supposed to be transparent, truly wasn't anymore.

Jason hopped out for a second, a scratchy old towel in hand as he wiped a spot clean in front of his windshield. The towel came back covered black, and Jason threw it into the trunk.

Luckily, the drive home was short and sweet, they were home soon. The usual smell was rather welcoming, surprisingly. Percy quickly made himself comfortable, stretching out on the recliner in the same way he had seen Annabeth do a while back. He stared up at the ceiling, his head pounding and his stomach aching from the day he had just endured.

"Well, you didn't throw up," Jason applauded, clapping Percy on the shoulder as he walked past. "I already consider that a feat. You should have seen—the first time Leo went, he was clinging onto Piper for dear life."

"Oh, jeez," Piper sighed, shaking her head fondly. "The kid was about a breath away from crying."

"I deny that allegation," came a voice from somewhere near the front of the house. Soon, a deeply tanned boy was standing in the entrance to the living room, grinning, and Percy recognized him easily. "I'd say I was closer to passing out, than crying."

Thalia and Annabeth entered the room just after their friend, both smiling like they'd had a good day. Annabeth's hair was loose around her shoulders, the curls framing her cheeks, pink from laughter. All that seemed pretty good to Percy until, of course, Thalia caught sight of him, and things got bitter quick.

She smirked. "You look a little green, Perce. What? Can't handle a little mud?"

He groaned as he turned his body into the recliner, stuffing his head into the plush fabric. "Shut up, Thalia," his voice came muffled.

"Let's go make lunch," Annabeth suggested quietly, tugging her friend in the direction of the kitchen. Percy was surprised his cousin went so willingly, but Thalia had this look on her face – like she understood what Annabeth was doing. Percy sure as hell didn't. She still wouldn't make eye contact with him.

It was a little late for lunch, coming up around four o'clock in the afternoon, but Percy wasn't complaining. Aunt May wouldn't be home to cook dinner until at least six.

"I'm Leo," the Latino boy introduced as he stepped up to Percy, who was still cocooned within himself on the recliner. He managed to stick a hand out and shake Leo's.

"Percy."

Leo took a spot on the couch, throwing his legs up onto the table just as Piper had earlier. His arms folded behind his head and he sighed. "What did _you_ _guys_ do today?"

Piper laughed, obviously remembering the fun time she'd had. "We took Jason's truck out mudding."

"Hmm." Leo nodded. "We were wondering why it looked like someone had painted your truck Earth color."

"Earth color," Jason repeated, raising his eyebrows. "Eloquently put."

Leo only shrugged. "We headed over to my house. Just put in a new pool, and I tell ya, it was _nice_."

"I bet," Piper sighed. "It's been so hot. Sometimes I forget how dry the summertime can get."

Just talking about the dry heat outside had Percy's throat feeling like the Sahara. Not to mention how turned over his stomach still felt. He decided he needed something to tone down the heat in his gullet.

He hoisted himself up from the chair, slipping out of the living room quietly. Passing Thalia in the hallway, he was surprised (although, really, at this point, he shouldn't have been) as she roughly threw her shoulder against him, and he hit the wall. "What the fu-"

She had a glass of lemonade in her hand. The way she looked at him told him exactly one thing. _Finish your sentence, and you'll be bathing in this_. His hands raised in surrender and he gritted his teeth, cursing under his breath as he made his way into the kitchen.

He didn't know why Thalia was being such a pain today, but he figured he did something stupid and she'd forgive him by tomorrow. He never understood girls anyway. It was times like these when Percy missed his mother, because she was really good at giving advice - especially about the opposite gender. She seemed to know it all.

Before Percy could get too nostalgic and start missing his mom, he entered the kitchen.

Annabeth stood in front of the counter, slicing tomatoes into sandwich sized pieces. His stomach almost growled at the thought of food, and it was then that he realized how hungry he was. He came up behind her, looking over her shoulder to see an assortment of lunch meat and cheeses. "Looks good," he told her, not noticing just how close to her ear he had actually been.

Her body jerked, and she spun around quicker than Percy could have expected an answer. He took a step back as he noticed her widened eyes and hand that was currently wielding a kitchen knife. Her jaw clenched when she recognized who had scared her.

She promptly turned back around.

Confused at this reaction, he walked over to the opposite side of the island counter, forcing her eye contact. "Is there a problem?"

Ignoring him, she moved on to place slices of sandwich bread onto cheap paper plates. He studied her. For some reason, she was wearing a bit of make up. Nothing outrageous. Just a little mascara. It smudged under her right eye.

"Are you...Are you wearing make up?"

Her startling gray eyes flung up to meet his, and he was surprised to see their glassy accent. "What's wrong?" he asked, coming around the other side of the counter unconsciously - he should have thought that one through better.

She roughly shoved his chest away from her as he got closer. Her elbow pounded into his sternum defensively and her watery eyes bore hard into his. "You're an _asshole_, Percy," she whispered fiercely, her face looking so hurt that he actually felt a pang in his chest.

The next thing he knew, she was storming out of the room, hands running harshly through her hair as she pushed the door open and left. Percy heard the screen door slam in the front of the house, and he knew she had gone home. But he hadn't a clue as to why.

He suddenly didn't feel hungry anymore.

* * *

**Little Lion Man – Mumford & Sons**

**Ehh, sorry about this. But from dark clouds comes Percabeth, am I right?**

**Bella**


	12. People Are Fragile Things

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or the song Summer Girl. All rights go to those deserving.**

**Chapter XII: People Are Fragile Things, You Should Know By Now. Be Careful What You Put Them Through**

* * *

**PERCY**

"Get your ass up. We're going to a party."

What felt like a rock knocked into Percy's head as he stirred from his nap. Still fresh in the haze of sleep, it took a couple of moments for him to realize what was happening.

Though, it did help his confusion to see a thick black combat boot lying next to his head on the pillow, and a very smug looking cousin in the doorway. "Thalia? What the hell?" Percy asked, wincing as his thick voice came out in a whine.

"I'm at least two-thousand percent sure you know exactly what I said. Get ready, you lazy bastard. We're leaving in ten minutes."

…

Percy frowned as he hopped into the backseat of the truck. The Grace kids and Piper sat in the front, while Percy was left in the back with Leo and Annabeth. The blonde girl kept her gaze focused out of the window, not so much as a smile directed toward him in greeting.

He still didn't know what he had done wrong, but seeing as Thalia was still angry with him after another three days, he figured he must have truly fucked up some way. He just didn't know _how_.

"Where is it at, again?" Piper asked, pulling her boots up and peeking at herself in the rearview mirror. From what Percy could see, she made eye contact with Leo and jokingly screwed her face up, crossing her eyes and jutting her head back to form a double-chin. Leo snickered into his elbow.

She seemed like a nice girl, Percy decided. She wasn't afraid to be herself and was plenty fun to be around. He was glad Jason liked a girl that leveled him in personality.

"The abandoned house," Thalia answered from the passenger seat, and Percy remembered the dingy place from when Annabeth had retrieved her phone there. Thalia had pulled the visor down from the ceiling and was swiping a black kohl pencil under her eyes in a way that had Percy wondering how in the hell girls did that—colored on their eyes without hurting themselves. Wincing at the thought of getting something that evil looking poked up his cornea, he realized he liked very much being a boy.

The music inside the truck was loud. Thalia blasted some punk rock station that seemed to pump her up, because she was getting louder and louder at every "DEER X-ING" sign.

There were a lot of those.

Annabeth was quiet on Leo's other side. Percy tried to catch her eye every so often when she looked up as Thalia made a particularly loud joke, but it was quickly becoming obvious to him that she wasn't interested in looking. It was a weird feeling, Percy thought. Because he felt a little bit disappointed each time it happened, like he was trying hard to grab something that was keeping its pace out of his reach.

Nothing immediate sprang to mind, time and time again as he thought back to what he could have done to hurt her. It was on his mind more often than he'd like to admit. Because she really did seem _hurt_ by something he had done. And if he was being honest with himself, he became a little more miserable every time one of the girls shot him down – ignored him, or in Thalia's case, insulted him profusely.

He felt guilty, and he hadn't even known what he did yet. That was when he decided he _shouldn't_ feel bad. If no one wanted to tell him what he did wrong, he refused to feel down about it. Thinking back, the last time him and Annabeth had been on what seemed like pretty good terms was their little prank on the Grace's. When Percy started to distance himself after thinking he had felt something.

Briefly, he wondered if _that_ could have been it. Did she know what Percy was thinking? Was _that_ why she was upset? Because she was so utterly repulsed by the idea of him kissing her?

It couldn't have been true, because he was pretty sure Annabeth couldn't read him that well, no matter how freakishly intelligent she was. And Thalia was mad. She obviously had a reason to be.

So, he was back to where he started.

As Jason's truck pulled up to the familiar broken down house, Percy made a decision. The music pounded the terrain for yards away from the house, and it was then that he realized he was at a _party_. With other _teenagers_. He shouldn't have been stressing about his tiff with Annabeth – something he really shouldn't even have cared about in the first place.

Tonight, he wouldn't worry about it like he had been doing for the past few days. He would let himself forget about all this drama he never wanted in the first place. This was _Arkansas_. He reminded himself that he didn't _care_ about the people here, and he most definitely shouldn't have cared about Annabeth.

He swung the door open from the truck and hopped out. His feet crunched the gravel beneath his sneakers as he moved to let Leo out, too. As soon as Percy was out into open air, the music seemed louder. He could smell the unmistakable scent of pot drifting over him. Loud shouts and jeers escaped from the shattered windows on the first floor.

Percy followed the group up the front steps of the rickety house, already catching sight of unfamiliar teenagers, socializing and smoking cigarettes on the porch. A few of them waved, and a sense of alienation struck him.

Being the new kid wasn't something that went hand in hand with having a good time at a teenage party. These kids around him, his cousins and their friends, had known each other their whole lives. They _knew_ the people at this party, and unless Percy wanted to follow them around like a lost puppy the whole time – which he did _not_ – he needed to find a way to make a place for himself.

Walking through the front door and immediately being hit with the smell of booze, he remembered the first time he ever went to a party. It was a good memory, mostly. He had met Rachel in the ninth grade at a party as they hid behind a plant to escape their drunken upperclassmen.

Teenagers filled in the house like ants surrounding a dropped ice cream cone in summer heat. Some were dancing, but most were just being loud and yelling cliché things about summertime. Percy caught the eyes of a girl a couple of yards away. She bit her plump bottom lip and winked at him, her deeply brown skin glistening under the lights of the house.

Percy swallowed. There were pretty girls at this party and they were paying attention to him and he suddenly didn't feel so uncomfortable. Good thing, too, because his group was beginning to disperse. The chords of a new song started to play through cheesy speakers and Piper took the chance to turn on Jason. "Let's dance!" she suggested, grinning and tugging him by the hand into the mess of teenagers. Jason's smile turned dopey.

As his friends around him left one by one, he decided it was time to stop looking like a loser and at least try to have fun.

He snaked through people, curved behind dancing teenagers, and tried his best not to knock any drinks over – he'd learned that the hard way in New York – finding himself at the refreshments table.

There was an obnoxiously big keg standing upright on the plastic table, a nozzle attached to the bottom and two stacks of Solo cups to the side. There was a cooler on the floor beside the table.

He bent down, snapped open the lid, and grabbed a water bottle out of the ice box. The abandoned house obviously didn't have air conditioning, and with all the extra body heat, Percy was feeling hot and overwhelmed. He was pushed out of the way as a few kids stopped by, refilling their red plastic cups.

Honestly, Percy would admit he was surprised. It was the first time he considered that southern kids might be close to what he dealt with at home. They drank, partied, and made stupid decisions alike. Teenagers were teenagers, regardless of their home.

It shouldn't have been new to him. He didn't know why he had thought the most fun southerners had would be fishing and farming, but he was quickly seeing how wrong he was. So many reckless teenagers in one spot were proving something to him. And it really put a new perspective on things.

Someone tapped on his shoulder. He turned around to be met with nut brown eyes. "Hi," the girl said, her voice slightly out of breath. She was the same girl who had winked at him. "You look lost."

Percy cracked a sheepish smile. "Is it that obvious?" He had to yell over the music, talking into her ear. Her hand came up to rest on his shoulder as he spoke. "I'm Percy."

"Lucy," she said, showing off a full set of white teeth. She spoke politely, different from the party atmosphere. "You wanna drink?"

Her eyes motioned over to the keg on the table and Percy hesitated. For some reason, his smelly stepfather came into mind.

He shook his head. "Uh, sorry. I don't drink."

She smiled. "That's fine." Her head nodded to the music. "I like this song." It seemed like she was hinting at something, and Percy wasn't clueless enough as not to know that she wanted him to ask her to dance.

And maybe Percy would have – she was pretty, after all. Coarse black hair coming down over dark-skinned shoulders. Full, russet cheeks tugged into a smile. She wore a crochet-lace tank top that would have had any boy's mind spinning. But Percy...didn't feel right about it. He felt like something was standing in the way of him having a good time with another girl.

At first, he had thought it was Rachel. Although they had broken up, it probably wasn't right of him to go off with other girls, right? That had to have been what was holding him back – the guilt he would face if Rachel learned he was partying with other girls.

But he quickly found out that Rachel was _not_ the source of his hesitation.

Through throngs of scantily clad teenagers, humping and grinding against each other, one couple stood out to Percy. A pit formed in his stomach.

He vaguely remembered muttering a quiet "it was nice meeting you" to Lucy before his feet were taking him into the packed group of teenagers dancing in what looked like used to be a living room.

By a set of wooden stairs stood two blond teenagers. Percy was shocked that he recognized the girl—Annabeth was turned with her back to a guy who was rolling his hips into hers, and Percy was sure his eyes had bugged out of his head at this point.

Something in his stomach felt tight and uncomfortable and he definitely didn't like the feeling. Who was that guy? Did Annabeth know him? What was he _doing_ to her?

The music seemed to get louder in his ears. The stinky fumes of cigarette smoke and alcohol clouded in his nose. Awareness burned through him. Everything felt like _too much_.

Annabeth hair was mussed. She was wearing make up again. A lot, actually. But it didn't look right.

Not that she didn't look good, because Percy couldn't deny that she did. But she just didn't look...comfortable in it. She kept rubbing the smearing eyeliner out from under her eyes and licking her gloss covered lips.

Oh, but she was smiling. Grinning, even. She _giggled_ as the boy locked his arms around her hips, fingers brushing against her belly button. Percy felt like he was back in the truck, mudding with Piper and Jason again.

Kids bumped into him, cussing and pushing as he stood stock still in the middle of the dance floor, but he didn't want to move. He felt...overwhelmed. Because he wasn't _sure_ how he felt about it.

Okay, that was a lie. He knew perfectly well how he felt about it because everything inside of him was screaming for him to "accidentally" spill an ice cold beer down the guy's shirt to "cool him off", but he knew that was unethical. Maybe.

For some reason, Percy was...jealous. _Irrationally_ jealous, but jealous all the same.

And hell if he knew why.

When the guy spun Annabeth around in his arms, she laughed, circling her arms around his neck. Percy felt like he was going to be sick as she pressed up on her tip toes, matching the boy's height. His head tilted, she pushed up...but then Percy was granted a strike of luck.

An obviously drunken boy danced close by, until at that very moment, he decided to try some kind of a dance move that resembled a round house kick, and ended up losing his balance (_surprising, no_?) and fell directly onto Annabeth's dance partner.

They sprung apart, the drunken boy slurring out an apology. Annabeth and the blond boy waved it off, and before Percy could make it over to go give his drunk friend a pat on the back, or maybe a hug, his focus was shifted again.

Annabeth's hand was pulled from her side as the teenager led her away from their spot. She bit her lip – and God, if that didn't do something weird to Percy – following after him, one side of her mouth curved into a smile.

They looked like they were leaving. Percy's brows furrowed and he stood up straighter, trying to see over the crowd of people to figure out where they were going. He couldn't be sure.

Not paying attention, someone off to his right ran straight into him. Percy muttered a quick apology before returning to his search.

"Hey, you looking for somebody?" the guy asked him.

Percy barely spared him a glance, pointing to Annabeth and the blond, him tugging her in the direction of the door. "I'm trying to figure out where they're going," he said distractedly.

The guy smirked. He had red hair, more freckles seemed to appear the longer Percy paid attention to him. "I heard you were the city kid. Ever been to a small town party?"

Shaking his head, Percy finally turned to the guy, offering his full attention. "No. Why?"

Ginger shrugged, smiling easily. "We get bored around here – have to make our own fun. If she left with a guy, that means exactly one thing." He proceeded to make a gesture with his fist moving forward and back and tongue pushing into his cheek. It looked mysteriously like a...

_Holy shit_

Percy's jaw dropped, stomach lurching at what felt like Nascar speed.

Before he had time to hit the dude next to him, his feet were carrying him where he had seen the boy drag Annabeth.

…

Thalia had her arms in the air as she swayed her hips to the music. Quickly, Percy approached her, his expression screaming urgency. "Thalia!" He called over the music.

She barely spared him a look. "What do you want?"

It was getting really old, her anger with him when he had no idea why. But he grit his teeth and pressed on. "Have you seen Annabeth?"

"What'sit to ya?" she yelled, shaking her head slowly. Her hands flung up to her hair, adjusting and mussing wildly until she was pleased. "Go bother somebuddy else!"

Percy's jaw clenched. "Can you stop being a bitch for, like, five minutes and actually answer my question?"

Electric eyes rolled. "I saw her leave with Luke. Why do you even care? If you're trying to fucking broadcast her again, I swear to God, I'll kick your pasty white, New Yorker ass, Percy."

"What?" he asked. "What the hell are you talking about? Which way did she go?"

A new song came on, louder than the last. "I don't know, Percy, I'm not mothering her. She can have fun if she wants. I won't stop her."

His head shook and he could feel a headache coming on. The resounding music wasn't helping either. "Luke, you said? I thought you guys had a beef with him? That's what it sounded like."

"Don't worry about it, Percy." He could tell he was being excused. Thalia wasn't much help anyway. Obviously, he couldn't count on her at the time.

"Whatever. Thanks a lot, Thalia. You were a great help," he spat sarcastically, scowling at her as he pushed away. It seemed like he couldn't go five steps without running into a new face, yet not seeing anyone he recognized. Two people in particular, but that was besides the point.

He figured he didn't have much else to lose, so he made his way to the front door again. Outside, the smoking group of teenagers still hung around the porch, making loud jokes and shoving each other around.

"Have you guys seen two teenagers?" Percy called to them, standing at the doorway still. "Both blond, average sized girl wearing booty shorts. Tall guy?"

Mirrored expressions of confusion showed and most shook their head. Except one person.

"I did." A short girl stepped forward from her group and nodded at Percy in greeting. She snuffed out a cigarette under her sneaker and jerked a thumb towards where most of the cars were parked. "I saw them near my car. I got the red Jetta."

Percy nodded quickly. "Thanks so much," he called out to her, clomping down the porch steps, already on his way to the makeshift parking lot.

"No problem!" she yelled back.

His eyes squinted through the dark against the lines of cars parked unevenly into the endless fields surrounding the run down house. Light from the party glared into the lot, the side mirrors of the cars reflecting it harshly into Percy's face. But he kept going, eyes peeled for the neighbor's daughter.

After what seemed like too many rows of cars for such a small town – and long after the time any normal person would have given up by – Percy caught the tail end of a low male chuckle.

His ears strained as he made his way to where he figured he heard the noise from, until a blur of unintelligible, whispered voices became more prominent to him. "It's been so long since we've talked," the male voice said.

"I know," came the sighed response. It was Annabeth. Percy turned right and his eyes quickly pointed out a red Jetta. A small silver car was parked next to it, two teenagers leaned on the driver's side door.

"I've missed you." The boy's hand came up, cradling Annabeth's cheek. Her eyes closed.

"Uh-huh," she murmured. It was happening again, Percy knew. The same thing they were going to do on the dance floor. Percy panicked.

"Annabeth!"

They froze.

Percy was sure he heard the guy mutter, "You've got to be kidding me..."

Annabeth turned away, her eyes narrowed through the night in his direction. "Percy?" she asked, her tone more surprised than he'd ever heard it.

His throat was dry. Pointlessly, he tried clearing it. "Annabeth, I-" But he didn't know what to say. He didn't even know why he came out here. "Uh..."

"Shit," Luke swore. "Annabeth, my mom's texting me. I was grounded and she knows I'm here. I'm sorry, but I have to go."

Her attention was ripped away from Percy, and she focused back on the boy she'd been talking to. "Okay, that's fine." The boy pulled her into a hug, squeezing her shoulders once before pulling away. Percy tried not to stare.

Annabeth backed up from the silver car as Luke scrambled in, spurring the engine before pulling out of the field within a matter of seconds. But it seemed longer than that.

There was silence. Annabeth stood next to him. Her eyesight was glued to the line of trees past the edge of the field. "What are you doing here?" she asked under her breath, not daring to look at him. She didn't sound happy to see him.

He swallowed, because he still didn't know the answer to that question. It wasn't like it was planned – Percy hadn't been thinking on anything but drive and impulse. "I..." He shook his head, trying a different approach. "Why have _you_ been avoiding me?"

Her jaw set, and he knew she was angry. "If you don't know, you're truly an idiot, Percy."

It was quiet again. After a few moments, Annabeth seemed fed up. She turned from him, walking away.

Anxiety rose within him. The familiar panic seized his being again. "Annabeth, wait!"

"What?" she snapped, spinning around and glaring at him. "What could you _possibly_ want?"

He took a deep breath. "I think we need to talk."

* * *

**Munich – Editors**

**this is so rushed. sorry. i got excited.**

**Bella**


	13. But If You Wanna Find Hell With Me

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or the song Summer Girl. All rights go to those deserving.**

**Chapter XIII: But If You Wanna Find Hell With Me, I Can Show You What It's Like**

* * *

**PERCY**

Annabeth kept her arms crossed as she followed him through the parking lot. His heart felt like it was playing drums inside his rib cage and he was incredibly nervous. Only stumbling on his feet once or twice, Percy stopped when he thought they had retreated far enough from the noise and distraction of the house. They were far enough to where the stench of cigarette smoke was only a dull residual scent in his nostrils.

For a moment, he let himself look at her. Her jaw set a tight line at the bottom of her face and her gray eyes glittered angrily. Hair mussed at the sides, she slid her previously clenched fists up in attempt to tame the wild look.

Not knowing what to say – how to begin a conversation like the one he was about to have, Percy kept his mouth sealed tight. Maybe he should have waited for her to calm down before luring her into what was about to be an angry heart-to-heart. At least a little bit. Empathy made no appearance in her demeanor, rightfully so, being that he had "cock-blocked" her little boyfriend and did whatever the hell he had done to piss her off _before_ that – which he still hadn't figured out yet.

It wasn't like he understood why he felt so guilty. Annabeth should have been honest with him in the first place instead of avoiding the problem entirely. Regardless, the distance was not a pleasant as he had once figured it would be. Any friendship with her was better than none at all.

So, he stayed quiet.

Annabeth shivered as a night breeze brushed out from the surrounding woods. Impulse almost had him handing her his jacket, but he doubted she would appreciate his offer, let alone accept it. They faced each other and waited, neither of them wanting to give in first.

"What do you want, Percy?" she finally cracked, shattering the tense silence. "Why did you...interrupt?" Her cheeks were flaming and Percy allowed himself to decide he didn't like it when she was doing that for another boy.

The bitter tone of her voice was enough to have any self-preserving person to hesitate. Especially when the topic of conversation was so undesirable to speak about. Close to painfully, he forced himself to press on.

"Can you just tell me what I did wrong? It would save us a lot of time here." He sighed as he stepped closer to the nearest car, leaning against the hood of the little Suzuki.

Annabeth scoffed, shaking her head. "You've got to be kidding me," she muttered.

"What?" Defensively, his arms locked in front of his chest. "Because you and Thalia are being _so_ straightforward, right? I must be an idiot for not knowing."

"Whatever, Percy." She rolled her eyes. "You haven't answered _my_ question yet. Why did you come out here? Did you..._follow_ me?"

"No!" He shook his head quickly, face hot. "Well, not like the way you think, at least. I was just...making sure he wasn't going to hurt you."

Her face could have been carved out of stone. "Luke? Hurt me?" she deadpanned. "A childhood friend since we were _seven_ would hurt me? Try again, Percy."

"How would I know that?" he argued. "And it looked like he was getting a little closer than friendly. I don't know a lot about Arkansas and what your children do, but if _that's_-"

"Just, shut up, okay?" She ran a hand through her hair, gripping it tightly when she reached the nape of her neck like she was frustrated. "Why are you even worrying about me? You've made it pretty clear that you don't give a shit."

Her words stung a little, but he didn't know why. "We were friends, Annabeth. At least partly. And then you got angry and we haven't been. It's not that _I_ didn't care. Maybe that was _you_."

"Oh, please. Don't give me that shit."

He shook his head. "See? You're the one who's shutting out. Not me."

The look on her face was incredulous, as if she couldn't believe he was actually arguing his point this way. "You're joking, right? You are honestly the most obtuse creature I've ever-"

Annabeth was angry. That couldn't have been more obvious if she whacked him upside the head with her gesticulating arms. Her face was red and Percy could only imagine how hot her skin must have felt. Her mouth moved rapidly as she continued to yell at him, but Percy couldn't make out the words. The rest of the world tuned out as he focused on the way she angrily flung her hands and the little wrinkle on her forehead as she scowled at him. Her pouty bottom lip jutted out even further when she was angry. He was getting that weird feeling again – the one he thought he had _imagined_ back in the truck.

It seemed pretty real to him now.

"-And you don't realize how hard it is for me to play it cool around you. You're painfully unaware of how cute you are, because you're so damn _clueless_ half the time. I bet you don't even know that I'm hurting and it's your fault. Oh my god, you totally don't. Look at you, you're just gaping at me. You-"

"Wait." He held up his hand in a slow down gesture. "What did I do? How did _I_ hurt you?"

She gave him this obvious look, so utterly _done_ with the conversation. "The _library_. I was there, you asshole. And I heard everything you said." Her voice cracked. She stared him in the eye, brow furrowed and hands tugging her hair harshly.

It didn't click immediately. No, he stood there for a couple of seconds, blinking slowly like some kind of goldfish before it actually hit him. And it hit him hard.

A strangled kind of sound choked his throat. His face melted into something bewildered. First instinct was to deny it. Say she hadn't heard right. But Percy couldn't do it. When his mouth opened to lie, he looked at Annabeth, and she just looked so fed up, he couldn't bring himself to lie to her. He couldn't save his own ass.

"Silly me, thinking you didn't actually care about the way I look – I mean, it's not like we were hooking up or anything. We were nothing more than friends, if that – But I was wrong about you. Sorry. I didn't think anybody could be _that_ shallow.

"Annabeth-"

"Save it, Percy."

"_Annabeth_," he said this time, a little more forcefully. He tried to defend himself, only because her words were sort of breaking his heart. "I didn't mean what I said. I'm sorry that it hurt you, but- It's just….It's _Rachel_ and she was gonna _cry_ and I didn't- Why were you listening in, anyway?"

He knew that was the wrong thing to say. He didn't _want_ to say it, at least. ADHD got the better of him, and he blurted the question as soon as it came to mind. And it didn't look like Annabeth was in the mood to sympathize with his tendencies.

She didn't answer him.

"I don't know why I even bother with you, Percy. I don't know why I care so much. _Your_ opinion should mean nothing to me, and the fact that it does is beyond my realm of understanding. You're _so_ not worth all this trouble."

Now he was getting aggravated. He was trying to _explain_. He wanted her to listen instead of shutting him out like this. It seemed like she was having a conversation with herself about how much Percy sucked, rather than with him. "Annabeth, _stop_. I said I was sorry, okay? What more do you want from me? I didn't go out there to purposefully hurt you. I fucked up, alright? I'm sorry that it happened, but if you had just minded your own damn business in the first place, we wouldn't be in this situation right now."

Oops.

Annabeth took a few steps forward, bringing them chest to chest. Her nose almost touched his and her gray eyes were glassy. "You're such an asshole, Percy! I'm so done with you! Ever since you showed up here, everything's been a mess. I just can't _wait_ for this summer to be over, so you can get the _fuck_ out of my life."

"You think I wanna be here? Do you think _you're_ easy to tolerate?!" He matched her steps, impossibly closer. Her breath smelled like lemonade on his face, but the perfume wafting up from her neck was more of a lavender. "You've got another thing coming, Chase," he growled.

"Shut the hell up, Percy!"

"_Fucking make me_!"

But she didn't need to. They were both silent, breathing heavily and glaring at each other. The air was packed with unspoken words. Things Percy wanted to take back, but knew he couldn't. Regret felt thick in his lungs, but anger felt hotter. Pressing him harder.

Then something else happened. He remembered what it was like, first seeing her dancing with Luke. The way he felt aware of himself and everything around him. But this time, it was different – the exact opposite was happening. Percy was losing himself as he looked onto Annabeth, he was slipping and he suddenly didn't have control.

The moment when he realized how close they were, how good she smelled, had him drowning in his lost conscious—short of breath and suffocating. He wanted air, and that was Annabeth. She was what he needed, his diluted mind decided.

And he just had to kiss her.

So, he did.

His lips came down hard onto hers. And just like he thought they would be, her puffy pink lips were soft. She was warm, and tasted tangy.

But his bliss didn't last long.

Annabeth's hands came up, balling into fists and roughly shoving his chest away. He stumbled back, surprise coloring his expression as he caught himself against the car he had been leaning on. Her gray eyes flashed to his intensely, and her hand came up.

She slapped him hard across the face.

The pain registered in his cheek faster than he'd like to admit. Blood rushed to the five-star now dressing his sensitive face and his hand instinctively flew up to cradle the stinging flesh. "_Fuck_," he muttered.

But he barely had the time to feel like a complete ass before she shocked him again.

Those same hands that had delivered the blow to his face, curled into the front of his shirt and pulled him off the car. His feet staggered forward, eyes wide as she glared at him. Her glittery gray orbs only looked onto his for a moment before she jerked him forward and connected their lips once again.

_Holy shit_

Annabeth was kissing him.

It was harsh. Their teeth knocked together and she purposely bit his lip. Her tongue came out to lash against his own, twisting and pulling. They fought for control.

His hands came up to cup the back of her neck, fingers brushing just under her ears. She tilted her head to the side, stepping up on her toes and deepening their rough kiss. He thought she might swallow his tongue, and he loved it.

Kissing her was chaos, but it was glorious chaos.

It was cathartic, running his hands up from behind her neck and into those springy blonde curls. His body just sort of lost its tense posture and he felt like he was melting into her. The tips of his fingers brushed against her scalp and she moved her arms around his waist, tugging his body as close to hers as she could.

When they finally pulled away, it was accompanied with an awful suction noise that would have had Percy cringing if he wasn't still suffering from severe shock. Perfect severe shock.

Percy stared at her. Her cheeks red, chest rising and falling from the heavy breaths, hair was all over the place. He physically had to tear his hands from her body.

"Annabeth-" he breathed.

"I know, Percy."

They were quiet, and to him, this felt like the hardest part. Now that the distraction of Annabeth's lavender perfume was out of the way, and her rosy pink lips were at least five inches away from his, he felt his mind return to him.

The kiss had been violent, and maybe they should have gone to counseling because _wow, _he felt like a dangerous human. He took a quick peek at Annabeth, only to find her boldly staring right back at him.

"It-"

"Didn't happen," she finished for him, her hands coming up to straighten the wrinkled fabric of his shirt. "Any of it. And as far as you know, I went home with Luke."

She had it all figured it out, it seemed. Something that surprised him, but he was still able to appreciate her quick thinking, even after just coming out of the blur that was...whatever they had done just then. He was about to agree, neck bent to nod, but then he registered the last bit. "Well, maybe not-"

"As far as you know, Percy," she sighed, rolling her eyes. Though this time, there was a considerably less amount of sting to it. Like she was amused.

He nodded. "Okay."

Stepping back from him, she looked him in the eyes. "Thalia and Jason can't know."

"You're right," he said. He knew it was over, they wouldn't be together like this again. Greedily, his eyes raked over her face, trying to burn the details of this moment into his mind.

That was when he noticed her face. Black smeared a little under her eyes, residue from the mascara she'd used. His chest twisted. He didn't know what made him say anything. ADHD's impulse would have been the easy excuse, but it felt deeper than that. "Why are you wearing that?" he asked with a strained voice, shaking his head because he _knew_ why.

She must have known what he was talking about. Her hands fluttered up to swipe her thumbs in an upside down arc under both her eyes. "Why are you even asking?"

"Annabeth, I didn't mean what I said."

"It wasn't for you, anyway." Bullshit. He knew she was lying.

"I pulled it out of my ass, Annabeth. None of those flaws – _none_ of it was true." Talking to Rachel, he had been blindly grabbing for something that would placate her, and calm her tears. And Annabeth had been the one paying the price for Percy's careless mistake. That felt a little something like Ipecac in his stomach.

She turned away from him, arms crossing over her chest and chin out. She tried to remain cool, keep her pride in her pocket, but Percy knew the effect his words had on her.

"Listen, I know what I said was completely out of line, and you need to know that I really wish I hadn't said it."

"Don't you think it's a little too late for that?"

"No, I don't," he argued. "Annabeth, wearing make up does nothing but make you look uncomfortable."

"Gee, thanks."

He dragged his hand down his face, groaning. "Come on. That's not what I meant, and you know it."

She sighed, turning around and plopping onto the car. "Okay. I get it. You're sorry you said it. I'm sorry it made me question myself, because A; I'm perfect, and B; you're totally not worth the stress."

He cracked a smile. "I'm glad you get where I'm going with this."

Her head tilted backwards a little, and she stared up at the sky. "It's getting late, you know"

"Obviously."

There wasn't a twig in her hand the last time he checked, so it was mildly surprising to feel one hit his head just then. "Don't sass me. We should be getting back."

Standing up, she stretched her arms over her head. Before she left, Percy knew he had to say something. "We can be friends again, right? 'Cause I'm getting really tired of Thalia spitting in my cereal."

Annabeth looked like she was biting back a smile. "We're good."

His look was skeptical. "Promise?"

She rolled her eyes, sticking her hand out. He shook it. "I promise."

Nodding, he took a step back, giving her room to walk around him and back to the drifting noise of the party.

"Remember what I said Percy." She looked onto him with serious eyes, a dangerous glint in them that told him to listen up. "What happened before – didn't happen."

Hands came up in surrender. "We totally didn't violently make out in front of this suzuki," he said, patting the hood of the car. "Gotcha."

Gray eyes narrowed. "Percy. If anyone finds out-"

He winked. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Quickly, before she had time to find another stick, he something close to skipped away, ignoring the cause of his good mood. Him and Annabeth would never find themselves in a situation like that again, he reminded himself.

…

By the time he got back to the house, the party was still in full swing, disgustingly drunk teenagers humped their best friends in the haze of released dopamine and high BAC levels, where anything was acceptable.

Percy didn't think the house could handle the current capacity of kids it held, but no one else seemed to be too worried about it collapsing in on them, so he ignored his fears and pushed on through the house.

At some point, he had passed Jason and Piper, he was surprised to see them still on the dance floor after all this time, but then Percy realized maybe why that might have been so.

Piper's tongue was definitely down Jason's throat.

Percy grinned as he left them to their fun, feeling proud of his cousin for finally sealing the deal with his crush – but as far as Percy figured, Piper had been the one to make the move. She was capable of doing it herself. He'd find out what happened later.

When he finally found Thalia, she was sitting in the corner of the room, Leo by her side. "But are you sure you ain't into me, Thals? I mean, lookit my biceps." Leo flexed his skinny arms, biting his lips in concentration as Percy approached.

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Leo, if I wanted an elf for a boyfriend, I would have asked Santa Claus back at Christmas time."

Leo didn't seem the least bit deterred at this answer, which only solidified Percy's guess at to how much the Latino had drank tonight. "Feliz Navidad," he started to sing loudly. "Prospero Aсo y Felicidad. I WANNA WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS."

Percy snorted, sitting down in a metal fold up chair to the left of Thalia. "I think you've got a not-so-secret admirer," he pointed out. Thalia scowled.

"Leo, go bug somebody else. I heard Lucy Johns is single." Thalia pointed off to the right, where a familiar girl in a lace crochet top stood, dancing with another girl who must have been her friend.

The boy's glazed eyes lifted from where he was trying to play with Thalia's hair, and he hiccuped. "_Mamacita_," he breathed. "Later, Thals!"

Percy felt bad for Lucy.

When Leo had gone, Percy turned to Thalia. "News."

She didn't look all that invested in their conversation. "What is it?"

"Annabeth and I are friends again, so leave me alone."

That seemed to attract her attention. "Excuse me?"

He almost grinned. "Friends again," he sang.

"I doubt it."

"Ask her."

"I will."

"Then do it."

Thalia slumped in her chair. "You're telling the truth," she grumbled.

Percy was probably about to do something childish like stick his tongue out at her, but she beat him to the punch. "If you fuck with her again, Percy, I'll let you know right now that I'm not afraid to kill a man."

Swallowing, he nodded. "Good to know." His throat felt a little clogged, and he cleared it, trying to ignore the income of thoughts on just how Thalia could abuse him. If he thought saliva soaked cereal was bad, he didn't want to know what Thalia would do if he screwed up _again_.

He wondered what she would think if she had seen the kiss he had just planted on that girl.

* * *

**Mother – Danzig**

**Alright, so news:**

**I changed my name, sorry for any confusion.**

**I've got new beta. Her name is Sarah and she's super good at making my shitty writing less shitty. So, a big thanks to her for helping me out here! Links to her on my profile!**

**Bella**

**(This was edited a second time, many many many inputs from Sarah. Some of the lines are hers directly. SO THANK YOU SARAH YER A WIZARD.)**


	14. I Hate The Way I Feel

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or the song Summer Girl. All rights go to those deserving.**

**Chapter XIV: I Hate The Way I Feel, But I Don't Think I Can Change  
**

* * *

**PERCY**

They tried to stay away from each other, they really did.

But when he thought about it, following the rules and promising that it wouldn't happen again...well, that was sort of a lot to ask from two hot and ready teenagers. It only took two days for Percy and Annabeth's little agreement to forget become one with the breeze, flying out the window uselessly.

Truthfully, the past few days had been more awkward than Percy would have liked. Him and Annabeth tiptoed around each other. Sometimes he'd spot her looking, but he never mentioned it – because she never did when she caught him.

It was frustrating, actually. Kind of like the Greek myth of Sisyphus. Condemned to torture, the man could roll his boulder up a steep hill as many times as he wanted - maybe he could come close to succeeding - but always would the rock find its way back down. Sisyphus would never truly win. Kissing Annabeth might have been a short-term achievement, but in the end, Percy's rock had fallen back down the hill.

Some of him knew it was for the better. And if he considered it thoughtfully, he would agree that the awkwardness was better than her blatant lack of acknowledgment of him from back when he hadn't known what he'd done wrong.

Thinking back on the whole conversation was hot and cold. Because he sometimes liked to rediscover the image of Annabeth fisting her hands in his shirt and pulling his lips to hers. But then there was also the look on her face when she had told him what she'd heard - what she knew Percy had said about her in the library.

He leaned back against the headboard of his bed, just having woken up mere minutes before. The overwhelming feeling of _too much to think about_ hit him hard as soon as his fog of sleep cleared. He closed his eyes as he felt the bitter taste of guilt settle in his mouth. The thought of Annabeth, standing between the bookshelves and listening to the awful things that he had said about her, twisted his stomach. She wore _make up_ for him – he had caused her so much insecurity, that she actually altered her appearance. It made him sick with himself.

The topic had been popping up endlessly in his mind since he had learned about it. Reoccurring and shifting to the forefront of his conscious whenever there was a slow in his thoughts. And with having all the information now, it seemed like those girls had let him off easy. He felt like such a...douche. There was no other word for it. He was a guilty, thoughtless douche.

A gentle knock at his door had him squinting one eye open and pulling his covers up over his body – he couldn't remember if he was wearing pants or not, and he _so_ wasn't in the mood to scar Aunt May this early in the morning if it was her knocking.

"Percy?" a soft voice called through the thin plaster walls. The door squawked as it was slowly pushed open and Aunt May's head poked in. "You awake, dear?"

His hands came up to rub his sleep-stiffened face. "Yeah. Come on in."

She stepped inside, her eyes taking in the entirety of the room. Percy wouldn't say it looked much different from the way he'd received it – other than the inevitable teenage boy mess - but he figured it was human nature for her to be a bit curious about it.

Sitting at the edge of his bed, she patted his legs. "I have a favor to ask you, if that's alright."

Percy nodded immediately. "Anything."

Her smile was worth it. Percy knew there were a few rare things he appreciated in Arkansas, but Aunt May was definitely on the top of that list. She sort of reminded him of his mom, and as the days went on, he'd admit any kind of connection he could make to his mother, he would jump on. He missed his mom, with her warm chocolate chip cookies and soft smile.

"Jason isn't feeling too well this morning." She frowned, nodding her head toward Percy's half ajar door, where he assumed Jason was sleeping in his room. It couldn't have been past six in the morning. "I wouldn't ask you if I wasn't desperate, but I need the yard work done. We have a load due next week to a local farmer's market, and we really can't miss another payment-"

"Aunt May," Percy broke in, his hands coming up in a calming gesture to hopefully soothe her rising panic. "Of course I'll do it. I mean, I might need somebody to show me how, but I'll do it."

Relief was evident in the way her posture sagged, but Percy also detected a hint of delighted disbelief – as if she hadn't expected him to say yes. "You will?"

"Of course." It was obvious she had trouble believing that he would help her out, and it didn't sit right with him. Could he really be that bad? His family didn't think they could rely on him to help out? _I wouldn't ask you if I wasn't desperate_, she had said. Was Percy really that hard to work with? He didn't like the way it made him feel. "I'd love to help out."

His aunt chuckled. "I wouldn't go that far, Percy. We'll see how much you'll love it once you're just about bathing in the sweat on your back."

He tried to force out a pleasant smile at that one, but Aunt May only patted the mattress by his feet again, laughing. "I'm only kidding with you, dear. Thank you so much for this. We could really use the help."

"It's no problem," Percy said, trying his best to let sincerity soak into his tone. "Seriously."

…

The morning sun beamed its rays over the jagged outline of pines in the distance. The dry grass beneath Percy's feet crackled as he shuffled to the little shed off the side of the house. He internally chanted Aunt May's words over and over. _Stick the key in, pull the clutch, and off you go_.

"Key, clutch go. Key, clutch, go," he mumbled.

Wispy thin clouds splayed across the morning sky and a gentle breeze blew over the Grace's property, sucking some of the unbearable heat away from Percy's skin. From his spot next to the shed, he could see Annabeth's small white house. A man sat at the porch and he waved when Percy looked at him. Percy waved back.

The tractor was huge. A big green hooded engine sat in front of a puffy, probably once yellow, but now more washed out chair. Percy gingerly hiked himself over the beast and nodded, kind of liking the added height it gave him.

A burst of harsh grinding sounded from the engine, wheezing as Percy turned the key into its ignition. The thing was intimidating, and he felt like he was learning to drive a monster truck. He tried not squeak as the engine let out a harsh growl beneath him.

It took a while to get the hang of things. First, he started out driving the tractor in circles around the field over and over again – if anyone asked him, it was intentional, for the purpose of learning how to work the thing. But the truth was, he couldn't really figure out how to stop.

As the sun rose higher into the sky and the temperature picked up, Percy felt the beginnings of perspiration tickle his neck. He wiped his brow as he finally got the tractor to stop continuously rounding the field.

There were about a thousand different controls on the machine, and he didn't know what any of them did other than a few obvious ones with little helpful symbols. He was surprised how hard it actually was to find his way around, being used to thinking it was a simpleton's job to mow the lawn. He had been wrong, which was becoming a customary thing in Arkansas, it seemed.

Hours wasted away after Percy taught himself how to lower the blades without having all kinds of dirt and grass spew out the side. The sun only seemed to intensify the longer he stayed out there, almost like it was trying to rush him along. Laziness had no place in yard work.

When Percy deemed he had finished the job, with only a few spare patches of grass considerably longer than the others, he rode the tractor back into the entrance of the dusty tool shed. The room smelled like gasoline and rusty metal, and the floor was nothing more than bare ground with a tarp pulled across the length of the room.

With more jobs to do, he chose to finish them off later, knowing he hadn't even gotten _started_ on the actual corn yet. But a newbie like himself was winded. Percy needed a break.

By the time he pulled himself up the porch steps and into the house, his shirt was soaked and his arms ached. It had to be at least nine o'clock, he figured. The wooden planks of the front hallway creaked and groaned as he staggered into the kitchen.

Thalia sat in her usual seat at the kitchen table, scarfing down her Lucky Charms as Courage the Cowardly Dog ran on the TV. Like every other morning, it was just the same. Percy was surprised to see Annabeth sitting at her friend's side – he hadn't seen her leave her house. Not that he was watching, of course.

He totally was.

"Hey, Perce," Thalia said, leaning back in her seat and smirking. "I bet you ten dollars that you smell worse than the bathroom this morning after Jason used it."

Unamused, Percy scowled. "Shut up. Aunt May asked and I wanted to help." He would have thought he had put on enough deodorant for a team of enthusiastic track runners this morning, but maybe he had underestimated his usage.

Thalia raised her arms in surrender. "That was pretty nice of you, man, I'll admit. But I still don't want you to come near me. You're drenched."

Glancing down at this T-shirt, a smirk crossed his face as an idea came to mind. He stepped forward, arms spread out wide. "I am? That's odd. Where?"

The punk's eyebrows raised. "Oh no you don't, buddy. Stay the hell away from me." Annabeth laughed from their left.

"I just want a hug," Percy said innocently. "Won't you give your only cousin a hug?"

"No, Percy. Back up."

He moved closer. "Give me some sugar, Thals."

"Percy, I'll shove my spoon up your nose. Go away."

Considering, he shook his head. "Nah. C'mere." As quick as he dared, Percy wrapped his arms around Thalia from behind, taking extra care to smear his sweaty armpits over her shoulders and slick his wet cheek against her own.

She struggled against him, kicking and flailing her arms. "Ack! Get off!" What he didn't expect was the sharp pain that came to his thumb. He looked down to see Thalia trying to bite his hand off.

Distracted, Percy couldn't catch himself when Thalia jerked away and sent his body backward. "Oof." The tile floors were cool beneath his back and his vision was obscured by rickety wooden chair legs and a pair socked feet. Looking up, he was met with the amused face of the neighbor's daughter peeking down at him. Annabeth just loved to watch him burn.

"You shouldnna done that," she stated matter-of-factly.

He rolled his eyes. "You think?"

Her hand came down, gripping his own. With a sturdy hoist, he was pulled up to a stand, and he thanked her. Thalia crossed her arms and cocked her weight to her right hip, grinning.

"You know I hate you, right?"

The punk cooed. "What happened to wanting to give me sugar, Perce? Not feeling so sweet anymore?"

From upstairs, a raspy voice called out. "Thalia!"

Percy recognized Jason's voice. He didn't sound too good, and from Thalia's comment before, Percy decided he didn't want to go anywhere near his cousin. What could be worse than yard work with the flu, or cold, or whatever else sickening disease Jason's immune system was fighting off?

His cousin sighed, hands flat against the table as she pushed herself up. "I have to go help him. It might be a while, so don't strangle each other while I'm gone, okay?"

A nervous edge pricked at Percy, and he swallowed. He hoped his nod wasn't _too_ unenthusiastic as Thalia jogged up the stairs.

Things had been going well so far. Mostly. They hadn't tried to kill each other, and the worst of their relationship was the painful awkwardness. And that was without being left alone together. This was going to test them.

Annabeth stood up, walking past him to place her and Thalia's bowls in the sink. As she rinsed out the dishes, she spoke to him. "What you did was really sweet, Percy."

His eyes snapped to the back of her head, where she hadn't turned around to look at him. "Sorry?"

She peeked over her shoulder. "You didn't have to do Jason's chores."

Percy sighed as he stepped up to the counter beside her, leaning his back against the blue tile. "Why does everyone think it's so hard for me to help out? Am I really that bad?"

When she finished cleaning out the bowls, she turned around and the look she gave him said enough. "You've gotten better."

"Apparently," he muttered, folding his arms over his chest.

Annabeth stepped forward, and there was a strange look on her face. "You know," she said, and she wasn't meeting his eyes. "You don't smell _bad_, actually. You just look like you do."

"What?" he asked her, feeling his face heat up as her eyes slowly moved up his body to catch his own. His breath felt forced.

She was really close, like, in his personal space. But at this point, Percy wasn't sure if he wanted his space to be personal anymore. "You smell...like gasoline. And grass." Her lips were centimeters from his cheek. "It's not a bad smell."

Her body heat scorched his skin as she pressed into his side. And suddenly, they were kissing again.

The deal they made was about as far away as Mars, as his hands came up to her cheeks, holding her face steady while his lips assaulted her own. She tasted like sugary cereal, and he could feel his eight year old self punching his fist into the air. It was something he'd always fantasized about back before he even knew what fantasizing was.

Flipping around, he set his arms onto the cool tile of the counter top, boxing Annabeth into him. Her hands clamped around his neck and she didn't seem to mind him pushing her up against the hard surface.

His lungs ached as she pushed her tongue into his mouth. But he wasn't ready to take a breath. It felt like his chest was burning and swelling at the same time. His mind was a pile of mush.

That was, until the sound of combat boots against wooden stairs rang through the hallway and into the kitchen. The two teenagers sprang apart, immediately beginning to suck air into their shriveling lungs. Annabeth's face was pink and her eyes were a little unfocused, and Percy figured he didn't look much better.

Glancing at him quickly, the girl's eyes widened. A hand flung up to his head, desperately trying to pat down the mussed hair. Thalia's footsteps were closer and Annabeth ripped her hand away, putting a whole kitchen between them as her legs brought her across the room.

When Thalia finally came in, she yawned. "I'm _so_ not up for taking care of him all day."

Nervously, Percy let out an obnoxiously loud laugh. It was uncomfortable and out of place, but he was trying to play it cool. From Annabeth's murderous look, he figured he wasn't doing a very good job. He cleared his throat, awkwardly backing up until he was in the hallway. A somewhat muttered excuse about having to pee left his lips before he spun around and just about sprinted up the stairs.

…

Percy's mind felt like the opening track for a NASCAR race. His thoughts bounced wildly against the walls of his mind, each tiny detail demanding his full attention. His head ached.

When Annabeth left that afternoon – with something about having to help her dad grocery shop, because apparently the man was clueless in the topic – she sent Percy a very obvious glare, mouthing the words. "_Forget it happened_."

He could do that, maybe. But he didn't want to. Wasn't two days bad enough? Now they had caved to their desires, and she _still_ wanted to pretend it wasn't a thing. Percy wasn't good at reading girls - particularly Annabeth - but he was about ready to say "Screw it, let everyone know we made out, so we can do it again."

But Annabeth didn't want anyone to know. _She_ didn't even want to remember.

Something about that didn't really make Percy feel too good, honestly. But he could understand it. He was an asshole, as she had told him many times before. He would be embarrassed of himself, too. And hell, he sort of deserved it.

It was like he was just now noticing how horrible of a person he could be sometimes. His aunt didn't want to ask him to help. Annabeth refused to acknowledge the growing heat between the two.

He couldn't have been well-liked.

Getting up from his bed where he had been hiding out for the past hour, determined not to slip up like he almost did in the kitchen, he sighed. Percy needed advice, needed someone to talk to. There was only one person he could think of. One person he _would_ think of.

That was how he found himself calling up the stairs to Thalia about going into town for a few hours. She was still in Jason's room, doing only God knew what to help him out. So, she yelled back, "Okay!"

He figured he had Jason's permission to borrow the truck, so long as he didn't decide to start a mud war with himself and bury it in dirt again. Checking his pocket for the familiar bulge of his cell phone, he backed out of the driveway when he found it.

Within minutes, Percy was parking along the cracked sidewalk by a bench he remembered. Like before, he stepped up as high as he could and pulled his phone out. He swayed it around like a lighter at a concert until he heard it let out a tone that meant it had achieved a signal – albeit weak, it was enough for Percy to place a shoddy call.

But before his fingers could type out the memorized numbers of his house's landline, the device in his hand buzzed sharply, alerting him to all the text messages he had missed out on since the last time he'd checked his phone.

Two from Grover.

_how do you get past dante in devil may cry? the guys a beast_

_do you think juniper from bio is into me?_

Percy would admit he chuckled. Quickly – eager to speak with his mom – he fired off two responding texts and an apology about the time it took him to reply.

Another text. It was from Rachel.

The top of the screen read MMS. Percy tapped on the message thread.

_Miss you :( x_

A fuzzy picture of his ex girlfriend popped up. She was blowing a kiss into the camera.

Guilt flared up inside him.

Things suddenly started coming back. Like waking up from a dream, reality made its icy cold appearance.

How could Percy be worrying about another girl, when Rachel was stuck back in New York, waiting around and thinking he would be coming back to her at the end of the summer - completely ready for a relationship? He really was an asshole, after all. Even if they had broken up, Percy knew she didn't take that as seriously as he did. What would she think if she knew what he had done with Annabeth?

Part of him didn't care - wanted to ignore the fact that Rachel existed, because he was starting to realize that he felt..._things_ for Annabeth. Things that didn't make sense and definitely were not welcome, but refusing to leave nonetheless.

But Percy knew that was unethical, immoral, or just plain wrong. He couldn't leave her in the dark that way. How was that fair to her, or even Annabeth – although the blonde expressed no concern about a budding relationship - for Percy to have kissed Annabeth the way he did, with another girl thinking he was entirely hers back home?

He needed to give Rachel a sense of where he was in their relationship – which was to say, not invested. As much as it hurt to make the decision of placing a call to a number that wasn't his mother's, Percy knew what had to be done.

Rachel needed time to find closure before he came back. He absolutely couldn't lose her as a friend, because she was important to him. And if had any hopes to salvage their relationship, he needed to give her time to heal.

Percy knew he didn't have time to call his mother now. By the time he finished his conversation with Rachel, the sun would have parted ways with the sky, and Percy would be expected back for dinner. In the end, he just hoped it would be worth it.

The phone rang three times before Rachel picked up.

"Percy?" Her voice was eager, and it crackled over the terrible connection. She sounded morphed.

"Hi, Rach," he said, feeling a timid smile spread onto his lips. "Got a minute?"

He heard shuffling over the other end, and he could imagine her freckled hands stumbling to shove her paper sketches into the desk drawer in attempt to make "comfort space" as she called it. The thought stirred nostalgia for the days he used to spend with her, hanging out and watching TV on the big screen at her house. "Yeah, yeah. Definitely, Perce. I was hoping you'd call."

"Oh," he said. He settled his butt onto the headrest of the bench, steadying himself with his other hand. "Did you need something?"

She chuckled. "No, no! I just missed you, that's all. Didn't you get my text?"

A lump formed in his throat, and this conversation seemed a little more forced than before. "Uh, yeah. Just got it a few minutes ago."

"So, what's up?"

Taking a deep breath, Percy reminded himself what he was doing was for the good of their relationship. Rachel would be able to move past this. "Rach, I'm calling about... I guess I just needed to tell you- Rachel, we _are_ broken up, right?"

She was quiet for a moment. _Smooth, Percy_, he thought. "...Wait, what is this about?"

His head fell into his free hand and he felt like slapping himself. "That didn't come out like I wanted it to."

"You're asking if we're broken up?"

He cringed. "Yes."

"Well, yeah," she stuttered, discomfort tickling her words. "I guess, but..."

Stomach turning, he squeezed his eyes shut. "'But' what..?"

She sounded uncomfortable when she responded. "I don't know, Percy. I mean, we're gonna get back together when you come back, right? That's not exactly 'broken up' is it?"

Percy was afraid she would say that. "Oh," he mumbled.

"Is something wrong? I don't like how any of this is sounding."

"Rachel, I need to tell you something."

"Percy..." She sounded apprehensive and hurt, and that kind of felt like someone was squeezing his heart. _He_ was making his best friend sound like that.

"I kissed another girl."

She was quiet again. It lasted too long. Her breathing stuttered against the phone and she let out a harsh breath.

"B-But you said-"

"I know I said I wasn't interested in anyone else. And I'm sorry, but...I lied. I think."

"What do you mean 'you think'? Perce, why wouldn't you have just told me before?" Her voice cracked and Percy thrust a hand into his hair, gripping the strands like he had seen Annabeth do when she was angry with him.

His body was hot. The conversation felt rushed and it was almost like he was being put under a polygraph test. It was all too much. "I can't answer, because I literally do not know what came over me. But I can tell you that I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't do anything for me, Percy." Her sniffle was louder than it should have been in his ear. "Because whether you apologize or not, to me it sounds like you don't even regret doing what you did."

"I-" He searched for words that could explain the situation he was in. There weren't any good enough. "I regret _hurting_ you, Rachel."

"But you don't regret kissing someone else."

"We're broken up, though," he defended weakly.

Her voice was small when she responded to him. "Apparently so."

He wanted to say something else, go back and tell her, 'Never mind, I'll tell you some other time. All is well with us.' But it was too late. Rachel cleared her throat. "I have to go, Percy."

Percy didn't think he deserved to try and stop her. "Bye, Rach."

The phone clicked as Rachel hung up on him. He got up from his perch on the bench, throwing his foot back and kicking the tire violently. He buried his face in his hands.

He had lost his best friend.

* * *

**Damage - Jimmy Eat World**

**This is actually kind of sad still? Gahh**

**Thanks to Sarah for being awesome! Seriously this chapter is so much better thaNK YOU**

**Bella**


	15. I Know We're Lost

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or the song Summer Girl. All rights go to those deserving.**

**Chapter XV: I Know We're Lost, But Soon We'll Be Found**

* * *

**PERCY**

"You call that a kiss, Jackson?"

Puckered, bruised lips pulled away from hers, and Percy felt his defenses go up at Annabeth's statement. "Uh, excuse me?"

Her hair was a train wreck from the amount of times Percy had run his hands through the soft curls. Not that he could see all that clearly, but from what he could tell in the minuscule light leaking under the door, her pink lips were puffy and swollen from his insistent kisses. It made his knees weak.

She yawned dramatically and Percy refused to believe it was anything but fake. The hands around his shoulders shifted so she could use both her thumbs to rub tiny circles into the pulse points of his neck, taunting him.

He scoffed. "Are you kidding?" The closet was dark, but Percy had a feeling she was grinning. The urge to prove himself whirred inside him, and he tightened his arms around her waist, hiking her up against the wall and letting her legs wrap around his hips. "Well, how about this?"

Their lips should have been chafing at the amount of friction between the skin – or at least stiff and tired. But Percy couldn't get enough of this. He dove in again, determined to show off what he'd been learning since middle school spin-the-bottle games. They'd been hiding out in the hall closet for at least a half an hour this morning, and at some point, someone would come looking for them. Percy was going to make these last few minutes count.

He didn't remember how it happened exactly, but that didn't really matter considering it was probably the fifth time they'd snuck away this week. The whole situation was inevitable—going to happen, whether Annabeth came over dressed in that cute little sundress of hers, or if Percy accidentally brushed up against her in the hallway. They only fooled themselves when they promised to forget what they had started.

And _boy_, had they started something.

When his chest burned, a signal that his lungs were in need of air, he pulled back, sucking in heavy breaths. Annabeth made no comment of his skills as she moved her face to the side, cheek rubbing softly against his. Her voice was raspy in his ear when she whispered, "_Weak_."

A shiver tickled his spine and he knew she felt it run through him. His honor was in question, and that just wasn't something he was cool with. "Annabeth, your kissing skills aren't refined enough for you to be making this argument against me."

She snapped backward, arms around his neck holding her steady as she glared at him. "Don't even go there."

"I was actually getting pretty bored; maybe we should cut it short this time," he teased, lifting his arm up to check a wristwatch that wasn't there.

If he knew anything about Annabeth, it was that her pride didn't take well to questioning. Her reaction amused him; he loved to get under that sun-kissed skin of hers. He really just wanted to see the way her eyes would narrow and her thin blonde brows scrunch together in the cute way that they did. "Oh _really_, Jackson? Bored?"

"Mmm," he hummed, lolling his head back in attempt of disinterest. But his arms stayed welded around her waist.

"_Bored_," she scoffed. Her hands moved from his neck, threading into his hair and pulling harshly. He'd never admit he liked the feeling. "I'll show you _bored_."

When she kissed him that time, he thought maybe he could ignore the hangers poking into his shoulder blades, or the discomfort of the closed in, and now very heated closet. There was a feather duster tickling the back of his neck; it took everything in him not to break the damn thing. He was stepping on someone's shoes and he felt off balance like he could go down any second, but he kept Annabeth sturdy against him, not willing to lose contact from her lips.

She pulled his tongue into her mouth, sucking and nibbling, and _sweet fuck_, did that feel heavenly. Heat exploded throughout his body – his _whole_ body. She'd taken over, blurring any other thought that wasn't related to her from his mind and not giving up that kind of control until she proved her point.

But Percy wouldn't let up so easily.

"Lookin' kinda dazed there, city boy." There was an unmistakable glint in her eyes. "Is this too much for you to handle? Maybe we should have a safe word."

Nonchalantly as he could, he shrugged, hoping his arousal wasn't as obvious as his wide eyes and panting breaths. "You know, the girls back in New York-"

He wasn't able to finish his sentence before Annabeth pushed him back hard, taking control once again. She hopped off of his hips, shoving him against the opposite wall. "It wouldn't be wise to underestimate what I'm capable of," she murmured, hands clutching the front of his shirt just the way she had done at the party.

But while Percy expected a full frontal attack on his lips, he was most definitely not prepared for the soft brush of breath at the base of his neck. Annabeth lips ghosted up his throat's length to place a steamy kiss against the corner of his jaw.

Breathing felt difficult as Annabeth dragged her lips down, coming to a stop where his neck met his shoulder. Then she pecked a trail up until she stopped again, leaving open-mouthed kisses to the lucky spot.

To say he was shocked when he felt the suction start would be an understatement. To say he didn't _love_ it would have just been a lie. His arms flung back and hit the wall with a _thud_, frantically grasping for something to hold onto as Annabeth's tongue came out to soften the just bitten area of skin.

"Holy shit," he muttered, head falling back as his eyelids flickered shut. He could almost feel the way her smirk pushed against him. Then she moved again, pecking his Adam's Apple before stationing her puckered lips at the side of his neck again. She kissed it with Percy's defeat in mind.

Warmth radiated from her body pressed into his, setting his skin on fire where they made contact. Annabeth kept sucking at the curve of his neck and it was then that he decided that she was good at pretty much _every_thing she did. What had he been _thinking_?

Out of breath, he tried not to sound completely suffocated with desire when he said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I fell asleep there. Did something happen? I completely missed that."_  
_

The blonde pulled away, grinning and looking at him like she knew something he didn't. "Oh, really, Percy? Because I feel something poking at my thigh, and I'm pretty sure it's not a coat hanger." She traced her hand down his back, sending shivers through his body.

His hand crawled up the nape of her neck, guiding her back to where she had been. "F-Fine. You were right. Just...please don't stop."

It must have been enough for her, although Percy could have done without the exuding smugness. Annabeth brought him back to that feeling of needing nothing else but her lips on his skin. Somewhere far, _far_ in the back of his mind, he wondered how someone with those kind of lips could have been _single_. That was followed with the thought that maybe _all_ southern girls were able to do things like this. And if they were, why had Percy been complaining about coming here in the first place?

And that thought brought on a whole other round of following ones. Doing this with Annabeth...what about Rachel? He put a halt to where his mind was tumbling. Rachel should not have been on his mind, because the ache of remembering his best friend leaving him stranded on the phone line - shutting down their friendship - still lingered close to his heart, squeezing his lungs and demanding his compensation for his wrong-doings. He deserved this.

But he had to think he had done the right thing. Sure, he felt like a massive _dick_, but this way, he wasn't dragging her along through his indecisiveness and regular Percy bullshit. It would be okay that she was mad at him - she had every right to be. And he could live with himself as long as she was okay in the end.

If he was being honest, Arkansas had begun to feel a whole lot more tolerable this past week or so. Definitely, Annabeth got under his skin - crawling and itching in a way that only she could do. However, there was a different feeling about her. He didn't know what to call it yet, but it was warm. Kind of pleasant. Kept him on his toes. But Percy would never tell that to Annabeth directly. That would mean forfeiting their little game, and he was having too much fun to admit defeat – he was even starting to get a little competitive as well. It seemed the boy would be having a harder time beating Annabeth than anticipated. She meant _business_.

But his mood had been better. Considerably so, seeing as it was a lot easier to get up in the morning with a little motivation in the form of "_We only have five minutes, so let's make it __count_."

A better way to wake up than having Thalia the Alarm Clock blow the shit out of his ear.

If he did ever get the chance to reconcile with Rachel, it would be under completely platonic terms. They had gotten together "just to try it out." But that wasn't fair. She deserved more than that. She deserved more than Percy's boredom. He just wanted his best friend back.

"This is okay, right?" she murmured against his skin, lightly mouthing at the area while she waited for his response. He wouldn't be able to find a way to say no, even if he _wanted_ her to stop.

"More than okay," he breathed, not quite yet knowing what he was getting himself into, and not quite caring either.

…

When he finally left the closet that morning (Annabeth having been gone for the assigned five minutes he was to wait), it embarrassed him that he had to shield his eyes from the light. He felt a little dazed, and a lot dopey.

Something close to drunkenly, he sauntered down the hallway, hoping his smile wasn't _too_ pleased for eight o'clock on a Sunday morning. He stopped only once to peek into his cousin's room. Jason was _still_ sick, bed ridden by his mother who insisted that chicken soup and rest could cure anything. There weren't that many doctor's offices around, anyway.

Percy leaned on the door frame, knocking twice at the wood paneling to announce himself. Jason's head stiffly turned in the direction of the sound, and Percy instantly knew the boy wasn't faking his illness to get out of chores when he spoke. His voice was thick, and his airways sounded clogged. "Kill me, Percy," Jason croaked.

"What?"

"End my suffering. Please."

Laughing, Percy stepped forward to pat his cousin's shoulder. "You'll be all right, buddy."

"I haven't gotten on my tractor in a week. How's she doing?"

Percy grinned at the reference to the giant, hefty thing being a _girl_. "Running smooth. Cuts better than a push-mower."

"She's something, Perce. I tell ya."

"How's Piper?" the boy asked, remembering what he had seen at the party. Although Percy had probably done the same thing, and maybe more, at least him and Annabeth were out of sight.

Jason's face was red. "You can leave now."

"What?" Percy laughed. "It must suck being sick after _finally_ getting together."

"Remind me one more time, I dare you."

Not being able to hold back his chuckle, he left the room with a "Get better soon!" thrown over his shoulder.

The rest of the day was slow in comparison to Percy's morning. Maybe because the group lacked with its just involving Thalia, Annabeth, and himself. For one, being around Annabeth outside of their "alone time" was more awkward than anything else. Over the past week and half, he'd gotten to know that bit pretty well. He didn't know how to act in a way that wasn't suspicious. When she stood near him, he was stiff, wondering what Thalia would _expect_ him to do had he not been involved in some kind of a secret fling with the neighbor's daughter. Never having to hide in a way like this directed his utter _loss_ as to how to go about the situation.

But at the same time, something about it felt...exciting. Making out with anyone brought at least some level of high, but running around with Annabeth was incredible. The fear of getting caught pairing with the act itself left goosebumps on his skin.

His hand reached up to thumb the newest patch of red at the side of his neck. There wasn't just one – not that Percy had the ability (or focus) to count while they were being planted into his skin, but he could feel at least three sore bruises as a result from this morning's shenanigans.

Thalia sat forward from her seat on the couch, and Percy immediately dropped his hand so as to not seem questionable. His spine stiffened and he locked his eyes on the television in front of them. Billy Madison, he guessed, but couldn't be sure. His mind had been elsewhere since the movie had been put in. Luckily, Thalia only made a grab for her lemonade on the coffee table, sucking the tangy yellow liquid through a green straw in her cup.

"Want some?" she offered.

He remained silent, shaking his head and continuing to invest himself with Adam Sandler. He thought she might have shrugged, but the action was ignored. By no means was Thalia greatly perceptive, but from the quiet pinch at his shoulder across the back of the couch, he knew Annabeth was thinking even _she_ would be able to detect something if he kept acting so odd.

He cleared his throat and tried not to peek at the girl to the far left.

Despite how tough everyone thought he was, acting was never his game. He wondered how he could bring himself to seem nonchalant, when he wasn't feeling that way at all. He was uneasy. If Thalia found out about what he and Annabeth had been doing...he could already feel the soreness of the impending ass-kicking. Firstly, she wouldn't be happy to have been left out the loop. And without a doubt, she would not approve. Her best friend since they were in diapers and her only existing cousin – and they weren't even in a _relationship_. It was bound to go down hill, and she would be stuck smack-dab in the middle of it.

Percy knew what Thalia would think if she knew about them. Annabeth was too good for him, she would say. By the way he had treated the girl when he first came here and the mistake he'd made at the library just a couple weeks ago, maybe he would agree with his cousin. He didn't deserve a _fling_, let alone a _relationship_ with Annabeth.

Though, he wasn't even sure if he wanted one. His feelings confused him, because he was pretty sure he couldn't stand being in the same room as her only less than a month ago. Then they were friendly with each other in the terms of a truce, and he learned that she wasn't hard to be around – pleasant, occasionally.

He didn't know how hate could be melded into a kiddy crush over the course of two or three weeks, and part of him thought that maybe, there had always been a small bit in the back of his mind that appreciated her. But the raging arrogance and poor first impression held him back from expressing the possibility that Annabeth could eventually become someone Percy cared for.

And there was also the fact that Percy wasn't _staying_ in Arkansas. By the end of the summer, he'd be back in New York, and would probably never return to this town. That stopped him from trying to make friends here. He didn't want to set himself up for the pain of leaving someone behind.

_So, now what?_ he thought. He wouldn't say he was infatuated with her, of course not, but there was _something_ there – something that was becoming a growing problem in his deep thoughts. No matter how much he wished it wasn't. It was easier when they despised each other. How to act around them was clear. Natural, almost. And it definitely smoothed things out when it came to the whole "don't make any friends" agenda. Whoops.

How long did this game go on between them before the inevitable struck? Before they were caught in the act, or before one of them decided hooking up in closets wasn't enough? Made things even _more_ complicated than they already were? It wasn't that Percy didn't _know_ what they were doing was a bad idea; he just couldn't bring himself to stop it.

He didn't remember much about business class last year apart from the fact that Rachel squirmed a lot when he poked her neck with his eraser cap, but he was sure Mr. Jones hadn't been talking about _this_ when he mentioned "Instant Gratification" not being such a great thing. (Which just made him think of his best friend again, and it took a few seconds for him to stop frowning at himself.) But that was the only thing Percy could think to compare it to. He wasn't being smart about it, and that much was clear.

Before he could mess up in the same way he had done with Rachel, Percy needed to solidify whatever mess of feelings were in his head. He needed an answer, rather than letting himself think "I kinda like Annabeth, I kinda don't have a clue." It wasn't fair to her, or himself to tumble along blindly. Especially when even being on good terms was such a fragile thing with her. Percy knew enough from being brought up by his mother that playing with girls was wrong. A simple fact. He hadn't realized what he had been doing at first, but now that he had...

Even if Annabeth was unintentionally messing with him just as much as he was unintentionally messing with her, it was still something Percy had been raised to avoid. He refused to be _that_ guy. Because where was the fun in people being _scared_ to get close to you?

"What...What is that?" Thalia asked suddenly, her finger prodding the broken blood vessels under the skin of Percy's neck.

Whipping his head away, surprised, he scooched as far as the old couch would let him. "N-Nothing," he mumbled.

Her smirk was evil, and voice was too casual. He was in trouble. "Oh, that's not nothing. What happened there on your neck?"

"Yeah, Percy," Annabeth chimed in, and her grin was worse than Thalia's. "What happened? Those can't be _hickeys_. What girl in her right mind would be caught sucking on _your_ neck?" Lord almighty, this girl was worse than his cousin.

"They're not hickeys," he protested, silently mouthing the word _traitor_ over Thalia's shoulder. Annabeth only smiled bigger.

"Then what are they?" Thalia sang, throwing her arm over the back of the couch and pausing the movie in front of them. She was too invested in this for Percy's comfort.

At a loss, he muttered the first thing that came to mind. "'llergic reaction."

"But-"

"Allergic to your UGLY, Thalia!" He started to drawl, "ohhhh!" in her face like a little kid - where "burning" someone was like a right of passage.

He stood up from his spot on the couch, narrowing his eyes at both girls as he began to stomp away. Frustrated, he muttered, "_Gonna go hang out with Jason. Rather talk 'bout Gertrude the tractor than stick 'round here any longer_."

When he turned around one last time (probably to throw a scowl over his shoulder. He couldn't really remember) he caught Annabeth's gaze. She bit her lip to hold back her smile, but the corners still pulled up. And when she winked at him right then, he decided that maybe she was at least a little bit worth the trouble.

* * *

**Soon We'll Be Found – Sia  
**

**Wow guys, sorry about the long update. I'm a busy bee**

**SARAH YOU PERFECT CREATURE C'MERE AND TAKE ALL THE CREDIT FOR THIS CHAPTER PLZ I BEG YOU**

**Bella**


	16. Roll With Whatever Flows Or Comes My Way

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or the song Summer Girl. All rights go to those deserving.**

**Chapter XVI: Roll With Whatever Flows Or Comes My Way**

* * *

**PERCY**

"_Argh_."

Percy grunted as he stretched his arms over his head, a wince followed at the strain in his biceps. Yard work had just about killed him these past few days. A quiet sigh released from his mouth when he slipped a T shirt over his bare shoulders. He scrubbed his wet hair with a ratty old towel before tossing it in the general direction of his laundry hamper.

Just having showered, he smiled a little, glad he'd gotten the sweat and grime off of his tired skin. He could deal with a lot, but he would _not_ suffer smelling like he'd just gotten out of basketball practice twenty-four/seven.

By the time he made it downstairs, he heard Jason's confident voice speaking aloud. Just from the sound, it was easy to see that he was feeling better. The rasp was gone and he didn't give off any suspicion of illness. Percy walked past the living room to see Thalia and Annabeth sitting on the couch. Who was Jason talking to then?

He followed his cousin's loud laugh into the kitchen, catching the tail end of Jason placing the land line telephone back onto the base with a gentle _clunk_. The tightly curled cord swung beneath the device that had once probably been white but had now turned yellowish with age.

"Who were you talking to?" Percy asked, using his arms to push himself up onto the counter. He swung his legs beneath him and grabbed an apple from a fruit basket that sat near the spice jars.

Jason turned around, leaning against the counter-top opposite him. His smile was wide. "You remember Leo?"

A memory of the crazy Latino sprung to his mind and Percy chuckled, thinking of Thalia's expression as the boy drunkenly hit on her. "Yeah. How'd things go with Lucy?"

A strange look passed over Jason's face before he shook his head, sighing. "Lucy? Jeez, that kid never stops," he muttered. Meeting Percy's eyes again, he smiled. "Lucy's a smart girl; she won't take his crap."

Percy laughed. "I hope she won't take _anyone's_ crap. That's not exactly sanitary." His cousin punched him in the shoulder.

"Anyways," Jason said, folding his arms over his chest. "Apparently Leo's brother, Beck, is lending him his van, so he wants to make use of it this weekend."

Percy's charcoal eyebrow cocked. "Make use of a van?"

That was when a little grin slid onto Jason's face. "Well, every once in a while a few of us like to take a trip up a ways into the woods. Bring a few tents and hang out by a little lake up there."

Blinking, Percy gestured for him to go on, evidently not catching Jason's drift. He could hear the girls talking casually in the living room, and part of him couldn't help to automatically attempt in tuning into their conversation. He shook his head to clear the muggy distraction that always seem to hold him when Annabeth was involved.

The blond chuckled. "We're going camping, Perce. All of us."

Eyebrows furrowing, Percy tossed the fresh apple into the air idly, letting it fall back into his palm before he bounced it up again. "Camping? Like...sleeping-on-the-ground-in-the-wilderness camping?"

Jason laughed. "Is there another kind of camping?"

"A boy could hope," Percy muttered. "Since when did you guys _camp_?"

"Actually," a new voice broke in. "We go a few times a year. It's kind of a tradition." Thalia slid onto the counter beside her cousin, taking the apple from his hands and biting into it with a loud _crunch_. She handed it back to him before turning to her brother. "Leo called?"

"Yeah." Jason grinned and Annabeth stepped up next to him, bumping his shoulder with her own. He threw his arm around her and pulled her into his side fondly as he said, "He's pickin' us up around four. Be ready by three-thirty."

Percy looked down at his once perfect apple, now covered in punk slobber with a whole chunk missing. He shrugged and brought the fruit to his mouth. "So," Thalia started, kicking her legs back and forth from on top of the counter. "You goin', Perce?"

Now, it was no surprise that Percy had never been camping a day in his life. But he'd seen enough television to know what happened to the dense city kid out in the wilderness for their first time. It was all a mess of collapsing tents, flammable bug spray, and peeing on trees.

Would Percy even survive?

"Just a reminder: If you don't go with us, you'll be left home for the weekend to fend for yourself." Thalia fluffed his hair innocently. "You know how much fun that was the _first_ time around."

Percy thought about it. Was two and a half days of living outside _really_ worth leaving the boredom and lonesomeness inside the Grace home? _Yes_. The first few days he spent here still haunted his every nightmare. And the couple days in which he was ignoring Annabeth? _Shiver_. No thanks, he decided the choice had to be pretty clear.

"Yeah, I can try camping," he said casually, folding his arms like he _wouldn't_ do just about anything to avoid staying home.

Grins surrounded him. "Sweet, man! Pack up, we're leaving in a few hours!" The kids broke around him, moving away to ready themselves for a weekend in the woods. As Percy hopped off the counter, he stumbled forward stupidly off balance, almost knocking into a certain blonde girl.

She caught him by the forearms, chuckling. "Slow down, Perce."

His smile was sheepish as he righted himself. "Sorry about that."

She waved it off, sighing a little as she moved away from him. "This is gonna be fun, you know," she told him, brushing his shoulder as she made to walk past. "Just try not to be an asshole to any of our friends? They won't be so kind as I was."

"You're kidding, right?" He deadpanned, but the tug at his lips deceived him. He remembered all too well what it was like after meeting Annabeth Chase. "I think you're forgetting who called who the 'ignorant yankee.'"

Her eyes mockingly took on a faraway look. "Oh, yeah... Well, I wasn't wrong, was I? Especially when I called you an impudent swine. Pretty sure I was dead-on."

He rolled his eyes. "You're lucky you're cute, Chase." She shrugged cheerily with that, and when he left the room, he wondered what in the hell a guy was supposed to pack for _camping_.

…

Percy wasn't at all prepared to spend the majority of the car ride to the forest crammed between bickering southerners, but he really should have come to expect it by now.

Thalia sat to his right in the row of seats furthest from the front. She kept flicking her brother's head in front of her, who tried his best to ignore the annoyance—but Thalia was persistent. On Percy's other side sat a girl he'd never met. At first, he'd been pretty surprised, because she couldn't have been older than thirteen or fourteen. She was sort of adorable actually, her tight cinnamon curls were held back by a yellow ribbon, and her russet skin looked smooth, not a blemish in sight.

"I'm Hazel," she introduced amiably, awkwardly twisting her arm to shake his hand in the tight space of the backseat.

"Percy," he said, offering a smile.

"You're from New York, right?" she asked. Her hands fell into her lap and she sat back to strap her seat belt over her waist.

He nodded. "Yeah. Manhattan."

"That is so cool," the girl gushed. Her golden eyes were wide with wonder. "I've never met anyone from New York City, though I do have a friend who used to live Upstate."

Nodding, Percy couldn't help but to think the girl was pretty nice. From behind him, he heard someone clear their throat. It was the burly Asian cashier he remembered from Pizza Hut. "Hey...you're that dude," Percy stated stupidly.

The boy was sitting horizontally in the trunk, his knees pulled tightly into his chest. It was a sad sight, as he couldn't have been less than five-ten with the build of a wrestler, and was crammed in the narrow space. But it seemed there were no extra seats in the car. "Frank," the boy said, narrowing his eyes at the minuscule space left between Hazel and Percy. Catching this, Percy scooted as close to Thalia as he could dare.

"Hi, Frank," Hazel said happily, giving a tiny wave - just a flick of her fingers, really - to the boy sitting behind her.

"Hey. How're your horses doing?" His big cheeks tinged red, and Percy almost cooed, eye flickering back and forth at the exchange. If Frank didn't have a crush on Hazel, then Percy wasn't wearing his Bubble Guppies underwear._  
_

Hazel grinned. "Actually, Arion just won a race! Last weekend, we took him into Texas, and we came in first! We got this-"

Maybe it was rude to tune out, but it wasn't really his conversation after all, and Percy had never even _seen_ a horse in real life except for one time at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, where all the police officers came riding in on their steeds. He left the two lovebirds to their own.

His eyes couldn't help to search out Annabeth in the fully packed car. He found her sitting shotgun next to Leo, who was driving. Her sneaker clad feet kicked up on the dash as she fiddled with the car's radio. The window was open and blowing her golden hair behind her; it curled around the back of the headrest.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been watching, but when he finally looked away, his eyes caught Piper's iridescent ones. She was sitting behind Annabeth, in the seat across the aisle from Jason's. Their hands were locked between the empty space and she was throwing Percy a knowing smirk. But the girl turned around before he had time to feel embarrassed at having been caught staring at Annabeth.

"Turn this sparkly shit off," Thalia groaned, referring to the cheery pop music playing through the speakers. "It's giving me a headache."

"I like this song, though," Piper complained, her shoulders moving up and down to the Taylor Swift hit.

"I'm not dealing with this all weekend, Piper," she grumbled, turning around in her seat to watch the trees fly by across the window in a mess of greens and browns.

Piper purposely started to sing the hit song off-key. "I GO ON TOO MANY DATES-"

Thalia shot up from her spot lightning fast, and she quickly leaned over the rows of seats to change the station. "Hell no, Piper." She gave her one last evil eye and returned to staring out the window like any other typical dramatic teenager. Piper mumbled something about a killjoy and went back to her conversation with Jason.

The ride was long. Especially because there was no way Percy could manage a nap in his spot. For one, Leo and his crazy loud singing wasn't allowing any form of relaxation in that car. Also, he was sitting in a _middle_ seat. Between Hazel, who he definitely didn't know well enough to snuggle up into, and Thalia, who would pretty much castrate him if he so much as laid his head on her shoulder with the mood she was in.

Along with that, Percy was terribly nauseous. He'd never been able to stand the long winding roads, and it wasn't much better that the car was hot and crowded. He just hoped he wouldn't spew until they were at least a couple miles away, where they would be close enough to live through it without starting a puke fest between eight teenagers.

So he was stuck to sit and wait for the surely impending doom that was camping. The others seemed excited, and it was obvious to Percy that this wasn't a new routine to them. They'd been doing this for years together, and that sort of made him feel out of place. _He_ was the new one here. Never been camping, much less on this special trip that was something of a tradition to the rest of them.

A few seconds later, a familiar piano melody played out of the speakers at the front of the car. "Oh, no way," Percy mumbled to himself. "Shit." This song was his _jam_. He clenched his fist; he was not going to sing along. Not right now – not ever in front of these people. He couldn't embarrass himself so early in the friendship. He had to fight it—needed to find the willpower.

"Just a small town girl," A soft, sweet voice drifted to the back of the car from the front passenger seat. _Wait_. Was that..._Annabeth_?

"Livin' in a lonely world. She took the midnight train goin' anywhere." Annabeth's sneakers tapped onto the dashboard with each pitch of the song. Next to him, Thalia groaned loudly and dragged her hands down her face.

_Oh no_. He had to fight it; he couldn't-

"Just a city boy... Born and raised in south Detroit." _Percy, no. Stop it, this is bad. Really, _really_ bad. __For God's sake, d__on't do this to yourself._ "He took the midnight train going anywhere..."

Annabeth glanced back at him, her eyes bright with excitement. Even though he _knew_ he was the shittiest singer to ever live, there was no use in trying to suppress his urges now – he threw his hands up for the best air guitar solo in the history of ever.

As the bridge came up, Annabeth suddenly threw off her seat belt and spun around in her seat, smacking the headrest with her hands. She sat on top of her knees as they bobbed up and down excitedly. "A singer in a smokey room!" She stretched out her hand dramatically.

"ANNABETH." Thalia shot a fiery glare at both of them. "DON'T YOU DARE-"

Percy sat up straight and extended his hand to Annabeth as well. "The smell of wine and cheap perfume!"

Together, eyes locked and heads nodding, they sang, "For a smile, they can share the night! It goes on, and on, and on, and on!"

Piper rolled over in her seat, stuck her tongue out at Thalia, and joined. "Strangers! Waiting up and down the boulevard, their shadows searching in the night! STREET LIGHT. PEOPLE. LIVIN' JUST TO FIND EMOTION. HIDING, SOMEWHERE IN THE-"

"NIGHTTT!" Frank was on his knees, belting out the line with all of his heart.

"Yeah, sing it, Frank!" Annabeth shouted. He shot over, throwing his arm around Percy and swaying them along to the beat.

Thalia never looked so irritated in her life - and that was saying something, because Percy still remembered the time when he threw a pine cone at her face the summer after fourth grade.

Leo cranked up the stereo, tapping his hands on the steering wheel. "Workin' hard to get my fill. Everybody wants a thrill!" His voice was crackly like sandpaper, but Percy was still grinning.

Piper poked Jason who looked like he was content to just watch. He rolled his eyes, but went with her will anyway.

"Payin' anything to roll the dice. Just one more time..." Piper smiled as Jason dramatically held up one finger to punctuate the last line.

They huddled together, swaying almost drunkenly to the song as they sang. "Some will win! Some will lose!"

"Some were born to sing the blues!" Hazel winked at Thalia as she sat forward to join the group. "Oh, the movie never ends! It goes on, and on, and on, and on!"

The seven of them loudly screamed the chorus as Thalia crossed her arms defiantly. Without hesitation, everyone rocked their personal air guitars. Piper's laugh echoed through the van. Percy glanced at Annabeth and smiled as she head-banged along to the classic, blonde curls bouncing wildly.

"DON'T STOP! BELIEVIN'!" Percy was oddly having the time of his time singing with these strangers. They treated him like any other member of the group; he didn't feel like such an outsider when they were all acting like doofs together.

"HOLD ON TO THAT FEELING!"

"STREET LIGHT!"

"PEOPLE!" Piper had some pipes, Percy chuckled to himself, because he was a funny dude sometimes.

"Come on, Thalia! Join us! Please?" Piper pleaded.

The punk glared at her. Then her eyes softened when Piper's bottom lip jutted out, coming into play. She sighed and reluctantly took Piper's extended hand. "DON'T STOP BELIEVIN'! HOLD ON TO THAT FEELIN' OOH WOAH!"

Everyone laughed and spread their arms to group hug Thalia (as best they could in a tightly packed car) while the song came to an end.

"Okay. Enough touching. Everyone get off me."

...

By the time Leo's van pulled onto the narrow dirt trail leading into the mouth of a forested area, the car had quieted down, only quiet personal conversations being exchanged between the teenagers. Percy hung his head low in front of him, trying to force the quell of his rising nausea. Deep breaths, he told himself. Don't puke.

It felt like the first time his cousins brought him down to Shadow's Creek, the way the forest expanded out from every angle, and the sounds of twigs snapping and leaves crunching filled every silent air. The feeling of being out of his element sprung up within him – but more subdued this time around. Percy did have at least some clue about what was around him from the days spent lounging at the lazy creek. Wilderness wasn't so foreign anymore.

Part of him felt relieved, and somewhat...proud of that fact. When he first came here, he knew close to nothing about anything off the roads. The other part of him wanted to shake himself—remind him that familiarity within Arkansas was _not_ a good thing in his situation. It was becoming a daily routine actually, having to remember that he was supposed to be heading back to New York at the end of the summer, never to return to the "Anus of America" as he liked to call it.

He couldn't let himself get comfortable.

And that only reminded him of the increasingly problematic situation between him and Annabeth, and he didn't want to put too much thought into _that _either.

The car doors creaked as they swung open. Kicking their legs out, the kids scrambled from the van. Leo had to go behind with the keys to let Frank out, and the big guy seemed pleased to be able to stretch his thunderous legs.

"Ah." Jason took a deep breath, puffing his chest out and grinning. Piper came up to his side, enjoying the same view he was taking in as she grabbed his hand. Something in Percy's stomach jolted, remembering what it was like to be in a relationship. Nostalgia tickled his throat.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Thalia was grinning from his side. She landed a firm punch to his shoulder and he didn't even try to suppress the following wince. "Try to have fun here, will ya?"

Percy rolled his eyes, but still managed a nod. "Sleeping in dirt. How could I _not_ have fun?"

His cousin ignored him, walking back over to the car to help Leo unload the stock of tents and coolers. It was the first time Percy made to look around him.

Leo had parked the car in a sort of clearing. Off to the side was a lake with a rickety wooden dock, maybe four feet deep at the most shallow portions. The water glittered gray in the late sky's shadow, and tall pine trees set up a protective barrier across the end of the lake, coming up as a fence around the entire campsite in columns of towering green.

In the middle of the soil clearing were logs built into a circle formation and a smaller rock one inside; it was obvious that this place had been used for camp before. Chalky black ash scattered across the placement of rocks from remains of the bonfires held here. Leo and Thalia brought out the tents, and with Frank's help, they got to work assembling them.

Clouds rolled overhead as night gripped the edges of the paling sky. He could hear the sounds of the tent's metal poles clicking as the crew put them together. "Give me a hand, Percy?" Frank called, desperately holding the fabric with one hand as the other reached for the metal stakes with the other.

"Oh, yeah. Sure." Percy hurried to help the guy out. He held the tent up as Frank nailed the stakes in with a peg. Leo and Thalia had already gotten one of their's up and ready.

Jason and Piper started on the bonfire, and Percy was surprised at the fluidity of it all. These people knew exactly what to do before they were even asked to do it. They worked as a team, setting up their campsite like they'd done it every weekend instead of a couple times a year. His friends back home were nothing like this. They were more focused on the independence that benefited themselves - that was one thing he figured he didn't miss.

"Three tents?" Percy mumbled under his breath. He counted on his free fingers how many kids arrived with them today—eight.

Bending down, Percy's eyes locked on two metal rods, his fingers twisted to connect them. He'd never been an engineer, but this wasn't rocket science - at least it wasn't now. He'd see how well it held up once it was in use. It was at that moment of distraction that he felt a firm squeeze on his...ass.

He sprung up, and the rods he was working with jerked forward, colliding at his face with an audible smack. For a moment, he was caught off guard, dazed and slightly scandalized. Whipping around, he caught sight of a certain neighbor's daughter backing away with a victorious smirk on her face. Annabeth winked at him.

Victimized, Percy narrowed in his green eyes at her figure, one hand drifted to gently touch his violated buttox.

"I'm gonna get firewood," Annabeth told Jason, tapping his shoulder and jerking a thumb behind her to the wall of woods much too casually for someone who had just- (_Cue teenage boy blush)- _got a handful of him. "How much for tonight?"

Jason pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, humming. He turned to Piper and shrugged. "Six?"

Piper nodded. "Six or seven logs for now. We'll get more tomorrow morning."

With that, Annabeth threw them a thumbs up. Piper tossed her a flashlight, and she caught it before starting to trek into the treeline.

He didn't know why his stomach jumped, but he definitely didn't feel like ignoring it this time around. Especially when he thought that something could happen to her before he got the chance to return a certain favor to her own ass. "You're going alone?" he called, jogging up beside her.

Piper was giving him that look again, and he pointedly turned away. Annabeth chuckled. "What? You think I can't manage it?"

"I'm more than sure you can," he amended, crossing his arms in front of him uncomfortably. "But there're probably, like, bears out there... or other animals that eat girls."

Annabeth smirked. "Name one animal whose diet solely consists of female humans - Yeah, no. What do you take me for, Jackson—A steak dinner? I'm sure a boy is just as mouth watering as a girl."

Looking at her_, he begged to differ._

A sigh pushed out of his mouth and he gave her an annoyed look. "I just don't like it, okay? It sounds kinda dangerous for you to go by yourself out there."

The expression on her face was far too pleased for Percy's taste. "I'll take someone with me then." He stepped forward, but she turned to the side. "C'mon, Hazel. Let's go get some wood."

The girl stood up from her seat on one of the surrounding logs of the bonfire, and she grinned sweetly. "Sure."

Percy screwed up his face and grumbled, "Not what I meant, Annabeth." But she only gave him a half smile before the two of them left, swinging their arms at their sides.

After the two girls were out of sight, Percy glanced back toward where he would be living the next few days. The tents struck his attention again.

"Are there only three tents?"

"Yep," Thalia sighed, slumping down on the ground next to her brother where he was still trying to start the fire with Piper. She laid a head on his back, sagging after just finishing up with Leo. "That was tiring."

Her brother chuckled. "At least you got it done before we lost daylight."

"Hmph."

Percy held up his hands, still stuck from before. "Wait, we're _sharing_ tents?"

The kids around them stopped, their eyes coming around from all directions to stare at him. Leo was the first to break in with laughter. "What?" the Latino asked. "Did you think we all got our _own_?"

Heat rose to his face and he shook his head immediately. "Of course I didn't," Percy denied. But, yeah...he did. It wasn't his fault—he didn't know any better! "I knew we were gonna share..."

"Mmhm," Thalia crooned with a smirk. "But don't worry, Perce. You'll be packing a tent with us." She knocked her elbow into Jason's back and he grunted.

"Sounds like fun," Percy deadpanned, trying to fight the whine that almost slipped from his mouth.

Thalia threw her hands up. "Okay, that's what Annabeth always says! What's wrong in sharing a tent with us?"

"Not _us_," Jason coughed. "I don't think _I'm_ the problem."

"Shut up, Jason. You've been the problem since you were in the _womb_."

Percy stepped in, his eyebrow creased. "Annabeth's gonna be in our tent?"

"Jeez, Percy. You're extra stupid today," Thalia said, leaning back on her elbows and looking up into the dark sky. "Annabeth always shares a tent with Jason and me. But if you two start bickering while I'm tryna sleep, we're gonna have problems. And you know how I get when I'm cranky."

"Oh, I don't think that'll be an issue, Thals," Piper muttered playfully, throwing Percy a wink. He gritted his teeth and tried not to flick her, because _holy hell._ Did she _know_ something?

"They've been getting along lately," Jason put in, giving Percy an appreciative nod. "I haven't seen them fighting in a while."

God, Percy just wanted the conversation to end, because he never really was good at keeping secrets and he felt like every breath he took etched the words _I'M MAKING OUT WITH YOUR NEIGHBOR_ deeper into his forehead.

"It's getting pretty dark," Frank noted. He was sitting on one of the logs next to Piper as she furiously struck two rocks together in hopes of creating a spark. Percy wondered when Annabeth and Hazel would be back. He knew they had a flashlight, but how well did that work when their hands were full? Maybe he should volunteer to go search for them.

Muffled laughter echoed through the clearing at that moment, and all the teenagers' heads spun to watch the two girls themselves shuffle out of the woods, logs stacked in each of their arms. The flashlight laid on top of Hazel's pile, swaying dangerously to slide off the top.

"Okay, but what if he wore bright purple tights and rode a unicycle?" Hazel giggled at Annabeth. "Would that change your mind?"

The blonde grinned. "Still sexier than Dean Martin."

"_Not even_."

"Gregory Peck will forever have my heart."

They didn't notice the stares they were attracting until they came up along the fire pit, dropping their collection of wood off to the side. "What?" Annabeth asked, defensively straightening her shoulders, eyes flickering along the gazes focused on her.

It was quiet for a moment. Then, Piper said, "Frank Sinatra, in his youth, could give both Dean Martin _and_ Gregory Peck a run for their money."

Annabeth smiled.

That small comment sparked a ridiculous feud that would last the rest of the night. While the kids around him laughed and fought over which vintage celebrity was the hottest back in their prime, Percy sat back and watched. A slow smile built on his face, seeing Piper lick a marshmallow and throw it at Leo. It stuck to his forehead. But "he deserved it" for "not understanding anything about _anything_" apparently. And when Percy was asked his opinion over Grace Kelly or Audrey Hepburn – Well, he figured it'd be okay to admit he had a thing for blondes anyway.

* * *

**Butterflies – Hudson Taylor**

**ok i can't hold this chapter off any longer this is why i can't do schedules jeeeez**

**thank you to Sarah! she freaking kills, does she not? i dare you to disagree**

**Bella**


	17. A Different Kind Of Truth

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or the song Summer Girl. All rights go to those deserving.**

**Chapter XVII: A Different Kind Of Truth, A Vision That's Just Been In Disguise**

* * *

**PERCY**

"Dry corn flakes or beef jerky?" Leo shoved both of his arms forward, holding a Ziploc bag of yellow cereal in one hand and a package of Jack Link's in the other. He wiggled them in front of Percy's eyes, waiting for an answer.

"You don't have milk for the cereal?" Percy asked, eyeing the corn flakes questionably.

Leo rolled his eyes. "Milk won't last out here."

Nodding, Percy grabbed for the beef jerky, thanking Leo before shuffling over to sit at the logs around the fire pit. His spine ached and his muscles felt stiff – sleeping on the hard ground of the tent had proved to be even more god awful than Percy had originally thought.

Breakfast of dehydrated meat and a bottle of water did nothing to better the experience, but Percy would admit he wasn't having a _terrible_ time. After the teenagers had tired themselves out laughing around the fire pit and roasting oversized Jet-Puffed marshmallows for hours the night before, they retreated to their respective tents. Percy fell asleep as soon as he was given a sleeping bag – actually, scratch that – as soon as Jason agreed on _sharing_ a sleeping bag.

...

The tent had been a mosh pit. He was sure anyone else looking in from the outside would have thought they were hosting a cock fight in there. Elbows flew and legs kicked, all of them trying to establish dominance in the tiny quarters. Percy had never seen these kids so vicious. But, typical as ever, it was when the rest had settled down that he realized something.

"Jase," he whispered.

The boy had grunted, turning over and cracking one eye open to peer at his cousin through the darkness. Percy could hear crickets chirping outside. "Huh?"

"I forgot to bring a sleeping bag."

Jason stared at him blankly for a few seconds, then promptly rolled over and stuffed his face into the fabric of his pillow.

Percy prodded his cousin's shoulder with his socked foot. "Jase."

"What do you want, Percy?"

"I forgot to bring a sleeping bag."

"Go bother Annabeth."

"She's out like a light, dude." Percy glanced over at the cluster of blonde curls, arms spread out over her head. Looking at her, it seemed like sleep took at least five years from her appearance, smoothing the lines of her face and relaxing her usually tight features. Her mouth hung open in a little 'o', lips parted and quiet little breaths puffing out. She looked peaceful (and honestly really adorable.)

"Well, why didn't you bring the _one_ important thing you needed?"

"Glowsticks!" Percy held out his duffle bag, revealing the packs of translucent light tubes in an assortment of colors. "I figured we needed them at night and stuff."

"Percy, you're a moron."

"_Jase_," he whined.

"_What, Percy_?"

"Let me share with you."

"Lord almighty," he muttered. "You won't fit!"

Percy poked at Jason with his foot again, which he swatted at blindy. "Jason, I'm cold. Come on, it's either that or I sleep on top of you. Just scoot in a little."

It was quiet for what seemed like long enough for Jason to have fallen asleep, but Percy could still hear his loud breathing inside the tiny walls of the tent. "Fine. But I swear to God, Percy, if you drool on me..."

"I don't drool, man," he protested. But Jason only ignored him, sliding over and letting Percy stuff himself inside the now very cramped sleeping bag. It was warm on the inside, almost too much so. The heat circulated effectively around the insulated fabric, and Jason turned on his other side, facing away from his cousin and grumbling about being exhausted.

Percy poked him again.

"Percy, I swear to God, I'll strangle you."

"Just to warn you, I'm a bit of a cuddler. And...thanks, Jason."

He was quiet for a beat. "...Go to sleep."

…

The next morning, the sunlight slipped through the open door-slit of the tent, waking Percy up. He yawned and tried to blink the sleep out of his dry eyes, which felt crusty and cemented shut. There was a tightness in his lower back from sleeping on the ground. With a groan, Percy stretched his shoulders forward, trying to pop the stiffness in his back.

He pulled his arm away from its latch on someone's waist and turned onto his side to relieve the pressure. But then suddenly, he felt someone's hot, smelly breath tickling the back of his neck. Percy yelped loudly. Jason's eyelids sprang open. Both pajama-clad boys pushed up onto their feet, screaming.

"Dude!" Percy exclaimed, trying to wipe the creepy feeling of Jason's stank breath off his neck.

"Dude! Were you... _spooning_ me last night?" Jason placed his hands on his hips, looking incredulous.

Percy crossed his arms. "Hey, in my defense, I warned you. Besides, you were the little spoon, man."

"I like being the big spoon," Jason mumbled, lips curved into a pout. "You should've asked, man. Consent and all that."

"And say what? 'Let me wrap my arms around you, big guy.' Anyway, I can't ask you in my sleep."

Jason huffed. "We never speak of this again, agreed?"

"Everyone back home knows I'm a cuddler. I don't care."

Jason had the ghost of a smile on his face. He picked up his bag to change. "Dude, I'm kicking you out of my bed."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Go brush your teeth, man."

…

Frank plopped next to him on the log, looking like he'd gotten about as good a sleep someone could in the wilderness. Fists rubbed at his eyes. "Long night?" Percy asked, handing him the bag of jerky he was munching on.

Grunting, Frank gratefully stuck his hand in the bag and pulled out a few pieces of meat. "That's an understatement. Here's a tip for you: avoid rooming with Leo at all costs." His black eyes shot around him before he leaned into Percy, whispering, "He farts in his sleep, ya know."

Percy stifled a laugh into the crook of his elbow. "No way."

"Percy, I could show you the _craters_ of the aftermath."

Chewing on a piece of jerky, Percy shook his head, grinning. "And you people made fun of me for thinking we should get our own tents."

Frank sighed, fingering a loose string at the hem of his ratty "Little Rock's Little League 2007" T-shirt. It was snug around his chest and shoulders and the edges were frayed, like he'd had the shirt for years but refused to give it up. "How did _your_ night go? You were in that tent with the other three."

"Fine," Percy said, shrugging. "I had to share a bag with Jason. But I still slept like a rock, honestly."

"Hmm," the Asian boy tapped his chin. "I think that means you're the problem."

"What?"

Frank spread his hands. "I'm just sayin'. If you slept that good, it prob'ly means you're the Leo of your tent."

"I do not fart in my sleep. I don't pollute the skies with my gas, Frank."

Black eyes studied him. "I bet you snore. Loudly."

Percy shook his head defensively. "Nuh uh. I'm not the bad one."

"You never know. You're asleep when it happens."

"I- No. Shut up, Frank."

A sigh sounded from Percy's right and he watched Jason slump on Frank's other side. "So tired," the blond muttered.

Frank gave Percy a pointed look.

Rolling his eyes, Percy broke in then. "Do I snore, Jason? Frank here thinks I snore."

Jason shrugged, plucking the bag of jerky from his hands. "No idea."

"I bet you both snore."

Shaking his head, Jason leaned in. "That's not it," he murmured. "Don't tell her I told you this, but Thalia has got to be the loudest sleeper I've ever known. Sometimes I think Gertrude could be quieter on rougher nights. And just _guess_ who was lucky 'nuff to be sleeping next'ta her, along with Dribble Donny over here?" He jerked his head in Percy's direction.

Percy made a sound of understanding and Frank nodded. "There ya go. Thalia's the Leo of your tent."

Jason looked confused, but Percy only waved him off. "Not important." Then, realizing what had been said seconds before, Percy gave the blond a sharp look. "Call me 'Dribble Donny' again, I'll tell everyone about what happened in Disney World '04."

Frank's head picked up like a dog's ears might at the sound of his favorite treat bag being rustled. Groaning, Jason rubbed his face. "Whatever. I'll drop it." He rotated his head from side to side and Percy could hear the popping noises that his neck made. "Anyway, we used up all of that firewood last night."

"You have to get more?"

He nodded grumpily. "It's my turn." Jason obviously wasn't too thrilled about it.

"Jason," someone called from behind. "You want me to get the wood?"

Percy turned around to see Annabeth approaching. She had a bottle of Snapple in one hand and an orange slice in the other. "I'm just finishin' up breakfast."

Jason's nose scrunched. "S'okay. Y'all did it yesterday."

"I don't mind," she pressed, tossing her empty bottle in a black trash bag that sat at the foot of Piper and Hazel's tent. "You look like hell. Lemme do it."

Percy's cousin still looked reluctant, ready to refuse again, but Annabeth flicked his ear, rolling her eyes. "I'm gonna do it, Jase. It's annoying when you try to act like a gentleman."

Jason dropped his head forward with a sigh, apparently giving up the fight in him. Percy wasn't surprised; Annabeth usually had that effect on people. He thanked her.

Smiling, Annabeth hugged him from behind. She turned to leave.

Percy glanced around, making sure no one was paying specific attention to him as he stood up quickly and walked to Annabeth's side. His sore muscles screamed in protest, but he ignored it as best as he could. "I'll go with you," he told her.

Annabeth turned to him with narrowed eyes, cocking a hip. "I was gonna ask Hazel to come, actually."

"Hazel went yesterday," he pointed out, stepping behind her. He put his hands on her shoulders and began to guide her forward. "I want to help you do the thing."

"I think you just wanna make-"

"That too."

She rolled her eyes but didn't protest further as they walked into the woods. "Would you stop manhandling me?" Shrugging off his hands, Annabeth slowed her pace so he could come up on her side again. They strolled forward, side-by-side.

Crunching sounded beneath their feet as they hiked further into the woods. The sounds of the campsite died down after a few minutes, and when Percy turned around, he found no evidence that it was even behind them. He heard all kinds of different chirps and whistles and glanced up to see birds hopping along different tree branches and skittering through leaves. The air smelled of tree sap and pine needles.

His shoulder brushed against Annabeth's occasionally, and he tried not to think about how warm she felt. Peeking to the side, he watched the gentle wind blow one of her curls around her face. Her nose wrinkled as she shook them away.

Sunlight peered in through the breaks in the canopy of leaves above. It shined down, highlighting Annabeth's face. Her high cheekbones created dark contours across the smooth planes of her skin, dragging out her striking features. He noticed a tiny beauty mark just above the right side of her jawline. And although she wasn't wearing make up, her eyelashes were long. They dusted the crests of her tan cheeks when she blinked.

Percy decided that her kind of beauty should be frowned upon for its effect on him, and the general population. Annabeth was more beautiful than she let on, and maybe it had taken him too long to realize, but he now knew that she didn't require a face full of makeup to look good. She did it all on herself.

And a lump grew in his throat to think he had told her otherwise.

When it became too much – and _yes_, that part was inevitable – he gently wrapped his hand around her forearm, halting her movement. She looked up at him with confused eyes and he couldn't stop himself from pressing forward, bringing her back up against a nearby tree.

He had caught her by surprise, that much was evident. But she regained her sense soon enough. When her hands moved behind to catch herself on the trunk of the tree, she let out a small laugh. "Percy," she warned. "I've got morning breath."

His nose softly ran along the side of her face, stopping once his lips were brushing hers. "Believe me. I don't care."

"You're such a _guy_," she muttered, and her hands came up to caress his forearms softly. "Fine...I'll give you five minutes."

A grin slid into place, but was quickly smothered as soon as he pushed his lips onto hers.

Like any other guy, kissing a pretty girl made Percy feel sort of loopy. Something inside his chest melted when her closed lips relaxed against his, and for a moment he let his mind wander off into thoughts that had no place in his mind. He wondered if Annabeth actually _did_ feel relaxed around him. Did he make her feel comfortable? Or did he make her heart speed up and her hands feel clammy? He didn't know why it felt so important to know.

His hands slid down to lace with hers before bringing them up, pinning them to the tree above their heads. He pressed his body into hers, pushing her more firmly against the hard column, and she breathed out a little sigh. Percy liked when Annabeth let him take control. Admittedly, it didn't happen often, but he appreciated the times where he could take charge in this way.

Time seemed to come and go much too quickly for his tastes. As Annabeth pulled away (Percy took pride in seeing her pant) he jutted his bottom lip out in an exaggerated frown. She laughed, pushing at his chest. "They'll come lookin' for us," Annabeth snickered as he stole another quick peck to her lips.

"How about five more minutes?"

"Percy."

"Okay, you got me. Ten minutes."

She shoved him away weakly and he grumbled, moving away from her and releasing the hold he had on her hands. "I would," she said. "But they'd know something was up if we took any longer."

Percy nodded his head, suddenly feeling exasperated. "What's with Piper? It's like she's already onto us."

"Oh, yeah. She's been winkin' at me all morning," Annabeth breathed in frustration, a hand gripping her hair in the back and tugging slightly. He noticed she did that when she was agitated.

He laughed a little. "Same! And she keeps smirking all the time."

"She totally knows something. That's why her hair's so big; it's full of secrets. We'll have to be careful." Annabeth stepped away from the tree, walking along the invisible trail she had taken up before Percy had stopped her. He tried not to wonder how little Annabeth from the Middle of Nowhere had just made a Mean Girls reference, and followed after her.

…

In the afternoon sun, the lake looked like an exact image of the sky above. A bright span of blue without a cloud in sight mirrored onto the water's surface. Percy halfway stepped out of the tent where he had just put on a pair of basketball shorts and stood tall, letting himself take in the scene before him.

The place really was beautiful, but he thought maybe that was just novelty speaking to him. Because there had to be a point in time where someone would have to get sick of this, right? Of the wiry, green pine needles dressing the ground like a layer of summer snow, or the smell of the previous night's firewood still lingering in the air like its second atmosphere. Because if it didn't get old, how did his friends ever find it in themselves to leave?

Glancing to the side, he saw some of the other kids hastily applying sunblock to their tanned bodies. Self-consciously, he looked down at his own chest, expecting to see the pale complexion he'd come to know back in New York. It surprised him when he saw that he wasn't actually left too milky – the beginnings of a bronzed glow set into his skin. Arkansas must have been changing him.

Jason and Frank had already made it into the lake and were tossing a plastic, breath-filled beach ball back and forth between them. They used the old wooden dock as their unofficial volley ball net. Leo yelled as he catapulted himself off the dock.

When Piper yelped suddenly, Percy turned to see a grinning Thalia run away from where she had just poured a cup full of cool lake water down Piper's back. The Cherokee girl's eyes flashed as she chased after her boyfriend's sister. "Oh, you're gonna get it, punk!" she yelled.

To the side, he heard as Annabeth and Hazel laughed at their friends racing off, ducking under tree branches and hopping over rocks. Thalia tripped over a root, but she caught herself before she hit the ground. Piper laughed loudly.

Percy's eyes caught gray ones when he finally looked back. He remembered how he used to think they were freaky and intimidating. But now...they were just _Annabeth_. Something that helped define her against other things. Gray eyes were Annabeth and he didn't think he'd change that if he'd got the chance.

He was stepping away from the tent and the smile Annabeth gave him had to have outshone the afternoon sun, he thought. He started forward, not really giving enough attention to his surroundings so much as Annabeth's pretty pink lips.

"Shit!"

At that moment, the only thing he could fully understand was the fact that he was falling. One second he had been standing, and then suddenly, he wasn't anymore.

But _man_, he went down fighting.

His hands grabbed for something to steady himself, _anything_ that would prevent his destination zoning in on the hard ground. All he managed to do was rip the walls of the tent he was stepping out of, and jerk them from their stake. Stumbling forward and trying to delay his fall _like an idiot_, he scrambled between the other two tents, flailing arms tangling into the lining and taking them to the ground in his flurry of accidents as well.

When the smoke cleared and the dust settled, Percy was left sitting in the middle of a destruction site. Everyone's attention was sharpened on him and his face burned in a way that sun screen couldn't prevent.

Annabeth was _choking_.

Bent over at the middle, she cradled her sides as she laughed. The sound echoed into the sky, nudging the others into their own guilty laughter as well. By the time everyone had fully registered what had happened, their chortles were loud enough to scare away any wild critters worth their acorns.

God, he'd really done it now. It seemed like Percy was _always_ the one to ruin the fun. Whether from inexperience or lack of familiarity, he always found himself in the eye of the hurricane. Stirring up the mess of things. A cluster of embarrassment and guilt bled inside him – they were going to be _so_ mad.

Percy shot up hastily. "Oh God, I'm sorry! So, so sorry. _Jeez_."

When he finally found the right footing to bring himself up, he thought maybe he could salvage any bit of dignity he had left. Nope.

He yelled out, "Whoa!" as he tripped over one of the tent's displaced rods, bringing himself to his knees _again_. "SWEET FUCK, I'M SORRY, BUT COULD SOMEONE HELP ME PLEASE?"

There wasn't one person who didn't come forward. Chuckles surrounded him, and Percy grimaced as he took Frank's hand, the strong boy hauling him up. No one was yelling...grins took place instead of angry scowls, and part of Percy wanted to feel confused, but there was no time for that when his embarrassment was so strong and fresh and _present_. Did they see him ruin all their hard work, or would he have to explain what this meant for them?

"Very elegant, Percy!"

"Smooth move! Do _all_ y'all New Yorkers dance like that?"

"Your landing could use a little work actually."

They were _laughing _still.

He blinked.

"You guys know I just tore down all the tents, right?"

Jason rolled his eyes, spreading his arms to the piles of tent lining surrounding them. "I think that bit's pretty clear."

"Leo does this every time," Piper said, giving him a small smile. "But usually, he knocks over a few coolers too. Last summer, Thalia tripped and threw a whole dinner tray of hot dogs into the campfire. We went hungry for the rest of the night."

Thalia scoffed. "We had graham crackers, you could'a ate those if you hadn't been so picky about it."

Percy was pretty sure he looked stupidly surprised right now. "You guys aren't mad?" he asked again, just to be clear, dusting his pants off and giving them wary looks.

"Why would we be? It's an easy fix and, honestly, I would pay money to see that look on your face again." Thalia made an exasperated expression, and then laughed at herself. She reached forward and started to rebuild the tent with Frank.

He shook his head. "It's just a little...unexpected?"

"Mistakes happen, Percy. We know better than anyone else," Annabeth said softly, patting his shoulder and giving him a half-apologetic look. (The other half looked like she was going to start laughing at him again.)

Hardly convinced, he stepped back to help the rest with rebuilding their campsite. How was everyone acting so calm about everything? Any of his other friends would have lost their shit – understandably so. It didn't seem..._normal_ to let him off the hook so easily.

But when he thought about it – handing Jason a peg so he could nail the stake into the ground a few spaces away from where it had been torn up – he figured he couldn't actually bring himself to feel _that_ surprised. These guys... they were casual. They didn't make a big deal out of things like this.

They were so _easy_ with each other.

Percy was surprised at the surge of longing he felt at that moment. He wanted a relationship like this with his friends back in New York, because he didn't get this kind of..._acceptance_ from them. These guys, they seemed to already know, _understand_ that people weren't perfect. And they were okay with it, because they weren't perfect either.

With the help of seven other people, the tents were up in no time, and the kids were already headed back into the lake – the sun having beat down on their bare backs and shoulders long enough to leave them sweating and itching for a cool dip in the murky water.

It was weird actually, he noticed that his cousins and Annabeth...They weren't wearing their underwear. Well, that didn't sound right of course, but they actually bothered with basketball shorts and real clothing this time around. They might not have owned swimsuits, but they had the ability to dress halfway decently around their other friends it would seem.

Strangely, something warm unfurled in Percy's gut. If they felt only comfortable enough to strip down like that in front of each other and himself...Well, that kind of soothed the sting of feeling generally disliked among his Arkansas relatives. Maybe it was something weird to feel proud of, but ever since Percy realized how much of a jerk he truly was, he had been insecure in his place along with the others. He started to think he was really only a bother on his family.

It relaxed something in him to know they trusted him on some level.

Even if it was just underwear.

By the time he had made it into the lake, he tried really hard to keep his eyes off Annabeth. There might not have been any other tents to destroy in the water, but he still wasn't keen on breaking the dock or something equally as Percy-like.

Though, he couldn't keep his eyes away for long.

He wanted to whine when he finally broke, not really seeing the point in Annabeth wearing a plain white tank top over her intimates, because it did _nothing_ to hide her. All the material achieved was to stick against her skin tightly when the water made contact with it, turning basically transparent – and _God_, that stirred things in Percy's pants. It was nothing he hadn't seen before, her bra and underwear, but it was painfully _different_ this way. She had to _know_ what she was doing to him. It had to be on purpose, he would believe no less.

Just when he thought he'd be able to turn away unnoticed, her eyes flickered up and suddenly they were staring at each other. Her face lit up, and she stuck her tongue out at him playfully. Heat clung to his cheeks and he let himself feel embarrassed for only a second before he whipped away. Only temptation brought him to look over his shoulder one more time, and he caught Annabeth's grin. He had to laugh with her.

The image still clear as day in his mind, he swallowed thickly and pinched his arm to keep himself in check. He tried to focus on spending the rest of the afternoon _not _ruining any other camping necessity, or ogling the nearly bare neighbor's daughter.

(In plain sight, at least. He was only a boy for God's sake.)

* * *

**Take Me Back – The Boxer Rebellion**

**thanks for reading, i hope you liked! thanks to sarah who has helped me spring jercy on all of us because we need more of that in our lives. if you guys wanna hear the songs from the chapter titles, we decided to start posting those as well on my tumblr page, so go ahead and check them out if you want!**

**next chapters gonna be really loooong. hell yeah are we ready for tent-sharing percabeth fluffy goodness?**

**Bella**

**ps: sarah says the word glowsticks funny**


	18. They Came Along And Washed My Soul

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or the song Summer Girl. All rights go to those deserving.**

**Chapter XVIII: They Came Along And Washed My Soul So Easy**

* * *

**PERCY**

Summer days seemed to stretch on for centuries.

With hours of sunlight to spare, the kids crammed so many activities into just one day of camping, Percy's head was spinning. While the rest had booted up for a hike, he decided to hang back, admittedly not use to all the animation and spark that came along with a trip like this.

He was pooped.

The sun melted into the sky in a pool of orange and pink hues. He watched, sitting on the edge of the dock with his feet dipped into the cool water as it just touched the edge of the tree line, the bottom half of the hard sun letting its rays leak through the breaks in the leaves. The warmth touched his face and he squinted.

There on that dock, Percy let himself remember what it had been like the last time he watched a sunset so beautiful. New York's own Montauk Beach was a memory engraved into his mind with no hopes of committing to the slew of forgotten ones constantly slipping his thoughts.

Every summer, Percy and his mom would spend a week or so huddled up in their slumping old cabin by the ocean, letting the summer sun heat their skins and ocean breeze tousle their hair. Like these southern kids had their camping, Percy had Montauk with his mom. It was tradition.

He remembered the way the floorboards used to creak under his feet as he excitedly padded down the hallway, ready for a day spent sans stepfather and using the beach in every way he could think. He remembered his mom's floppy white sun hat, and how she would tip it up and smile when he talked to her – like whatever an eight year old was rambling on about was worth actually paying attention to. He remembered the soft way his mom would look at him when he swam. He would come out of the water and happily show her a seashell he had found buried in the wet sand, grin stretching to touch his ears. He remembered how, even as a kid, he knew she had been thinking about his dad in that moment.

Guilt seeped into his gut when he thought about where she was now. This year, there would be no Montauk for Sally Jackson. She was stuck working her tail off and trying to save all of her money just so she could cover the bills while Gabe sat on his rump and ordered her around. All because Percy had made a mistake – hadn't been able to control his anger _or_ himself. Now his mom was the one who was forced to suffer.

Percy knew who Gabe was. He was a jerk. An asshole. _Mean_. Gabe didn't use his hands to lay abuse on the Jackson family. He used his words, and admittedly, he didn't have many of them, but Gabe could make them into nothing with just his voice. Percy grew up to the shouts and taunts; he was used to it. But Sally—she didn't deserve it in a million years. It was Percy's fault she was going through it alone.

And this wasn't even the _first_ time Percy had let something like this happen. His carelessness had been the cause of hurt to the people around him for who _knew_ how long. Even just recently, Annabeth had been pushed into a new level of insecurity because of his own mistakes—his own insecurities about how he felt for her.

He _remembered_ the way she acted the first afternoon they spent at Shadow's Creek. He specifically took note of her confidence. And all it had taken was a few mindless comments on his part to crumble something so small inside of her. He made her _question_ herself and that left the worst taste in his mouth.

Anger flared up in his chest. He reached over the side of the dock, plucking a rock from the clumpy, dark sand and threw it forward as far as he could. It landed about ten feet away with a heavy _glunk_. He didn't feel any better.

He was beginning to wonder what other problems he was creating with his lack of tact (or general working conscience as it would seem). Was he still being hurtful and rude to his family and friends? Would he look back at himself now and still see everything that made regret bubble in his veins?

He threw another rock.

"Hey," a soft voice whispered. He felt a pair of fingertips run the length of his shoulder and looked up to see Annabeth take the spot next to him on the platform.

"I thought you went on that hike," he told her, scooting over a little and putting a safe couple of inches between them. "You guys back already?"

Annabeth shook her head, and the light that had been touching his face was now climbing up her cheek. "I turned around," she explained. "Didn't think it was fair to leave you here by yourself."

He frowned as she continued. "You know—in case one of those bears or exclusively girl-eating animals came out to play. Wouldn't want them to mistake you for pretty lady; I know I almost did."

Percy pushed at her shoulder, and she swayed a bit to the side as they laughed. But he didn't forget what she'd reasoned a return for – whether she had been joking or not, Annabeth came back to keep him company. Something inside of him jumped at the thought.

"You're cute, Chase." He rolled his eyes, trying not to seem overly appreciative for her appearance. "And I'm thinking my _coat hanger_ must have ended the gender-doubt quite nicely, yeah?"

The tiny, almost undetectable blush that rose onto her cheeks had him smiling as they laughed together again. It was weird – acting so casual about something that so wasn't. What they did together had the potential to hurt them both, and most of the time it provided a load of awkwardness that could rival a middle school homecoming dance, but they were slowly learning to become more comfortable with one another – regardless of the poor choice itself. He didn't know if any of it was a good thing or not.

Sighing, Percy allowed himself to dunk another rock into the lake before them. The night grew more alive in every passing second and he wondered how long they had until the others came back from the hike. The dock groaned as Annabeth reached over his lap, picked up a rock from the pile off to the side, and took his hand in hers. Surprised, flustered, and strangely warm, he swallowed down the sudden thickness in his throat as he met her eyes, confusion sparkling in them like that of a newborn puppy.

Annabeth reached behind his back, holding his arm in one hand, and using her other hand to drop the rock into his. She brought his arm backward a little, leaning into his side. "Turn it sideways and snap it forward. Keep your eye on the surface of the water."

Glancing at her warily, he only followed her instructions once she nudged his arm, trying to guide him into a throw. Bringing his arm back, he snapped it forward the way she had demonstrated and watched as the flat rock skidded across the surface of the lake three or four times before sinking into the water's depths.

She smiled. "Now you know how to skip rocks."

"That'll help me in life," he grumbled. With a tired huff, he slumped backwards and let his elbows catch him, closing his eyes against the soft last lights of the day. They were silent for a while, relaxing and letting the wind blow through their hair.

After what seemed like too long for two people to sit together without talking, she quietly asked, "What were you thinking about?" Percy could hear the wood groan as she settled down next to him.

A breath of frustration left his mouth as he thought about his previous internal conflict. "It's just- Annabeth, when I'm acting like a dick, could you let me know? Because it seems like I'm the only one who doesn't catch on."

Her eyebrows furrowed, but she let out a breathy chuckle anyway. "I already do that, you bonehead." He felt her shoulder bump his. "Trust me, when you're being an ass, I don't just let you off the hook. No way, no how."

Percy smiled bitterly, squeezing his eyes shut tighter. "I was terrible to you."

"Well," she sighed. "Yeah. You were. But let's not talk about that right now. The important thing is that you've gotten better. Like—a whole lot better."

Dusk had fallen by now, the last bits of sunlight evaporating under the darkening walls of the sky. The air cooled and the sounds of tiny critters scuttling about the forest could be heard. He didn't realize how long they'd been sitting there. Annabeth bumped him with her shoulder again.

It was at that moment Percy could hear the sounds of muffled talking and footsteps crackling over leaves. They both sat up from their position and struggled to appear as casual as possible. As if they hadn't just been a step away from, like..._cuddling_ or something equally as mushy and totally not within the boundaries of their relationship.

"¡Hola, mis amigos!" Leo called out. His voice echoed around the clearing and Percy had to squint to see his face in the little light from the few stars that had begun to peak out in the dimming sky.

"Hey, Leo," Annabeth chuckled. She stood up on the dock, dusting off her shorts before walking toward her friends.

"We missed you out there." Jason smiled, giving her shoulder a quick squeeze. "What did y'all get up to?"

Percy could have laughed. "Not much, actually."

A weak glare was tossed over Annabeth's shoulder; she didn't find it as funny as he did. But there was just something about the fact that they hadn't immediately jumped each other as soon as they learned they were alone that made warmth flood Percy's stomach. He smiled a little at her in return.

Hazel stepped up on his side. There was a ribbon tied in her hair, keeping her coarse cinnamon curls back from blocking her eyesight. She grinned at them like she enjoyed watching everyone's interactions. "So..." She tilted her head to the side. "How long have you guys been together, anyway?"

Annabeth had been raising a bottle of water to her mouth. She choked. "W-wait what?"

There was a loud snort to the left of Percy, who was still trying to process what had just been said. "These two?" Thalia shook her head in amusement. Her laugh was loud and borderline obnoxious. "You couldn't put them together if you tried – forcibly. _With magnets_."

Annabeth laughed and it sounded casual. Believable. He wondered how it came so easily to her, but figured it was just a part of the whole 'good at everything she does' bit.

"Yeah, totally," she managed with an eye roll. "I have more attraction to a well-grilled burger, Hazel."

Even if his voice took on a nervous twinge, he tried to act cool like she was, taking her stance and posture into consideration. He was pretty sure he just looked like he needed to go use one of the trees. "Pfft," he brushed off. The way Annabeth had her eyes slit at him just screamed how unimpressed with his performance she was. Thinking of something to pick up his game, he made sure to look directly at her when he said, "Not interested. I bet she gives sloppy kisses anyway."

He grinned at her pointedly.

Her eyes closed and she exasperatedly shook her head, as if to say, _You're an idiot_. Which he was, so he kept smiling. He was on fire today.

Once the group was fresh out of giggles, and poor Hazel stopped blushing long enough to splutter out an apology to which they waved off, (It was only a mistake – that had been spot on, but no one had to know that) they settled down and Leo built up a nice fire. Sitting on the logs around the fire pit, a warm glow doused all of them in rusty light, long shadows drawing contours over their faces. Percy sat quietly as they passed around sticks, tossing packages of hot dogs and marshmallows across the circle.

It was nice. Calm. The air shed degrees, leaving them in the sky to return with the sun the next day. He felt relaxed. But it was when Piper sat down next to him, handing over a package of graham crackers with a friendly smile that he realized something.

"Uh," he coughed. "I don't actually- Could you..?" Trailing off, he awkwardly swung the stick in front of him, trying to convey that he didn't actually have any idea what he was supposed to do with it. He had never eaten a s'more before. Piper only laughed, and Percy thought she must have understood what he was trying to say.

"Here," she said, plunking a fat white marshmallow onto the point of his stick. This part wasn't new to him – they had done it last night. But he wasn't really sure what came next in the process.

He stuck his stick into the fire, only briefly wondering why the whole branch didn't catch on fire, then deeming it unimportant as he pulled it out before the fluffy thing turned charcoal. Next to him, Piper had placed a square of chocolate on top of one of his graham crackers and was purposefully holding them within his reach. Percy brought his stick up and blew on it to extinguish the flame. "What now?" he asked.

Piper rolled her eyes something almost fondly as she smacked the two cracker slices over the burnt marshmallow like a sandwich. The white fluff oozed out the sides, breaking from it's ashy black exterior like milky lava. The chocolate morphed into a gooey substance that had his mouth watering. It was a work of art.

"Man," Piper chuckled. She leaned back coolly, watching him with lids slit. "I've only ever seen you make googly eyes like that for Annabeth. You city kids really _must_ be deprived."

Something caught in his throat at that, although the s'more hadn't reached his lips. "What?" he spluttered, looking around and hoping to all hell that no one had caught her comment. He seemed to be in the clear, the teenagers around him were distracted in their own conversations. Annabeth sat across the fire pit, next to Leo, where they were elbowing each other playfully. Percy didn't _mean_ for a tiny smile to break at the sight.

He was caught off guard! It wasn't fair for Piper to take advantage.

"Okay." Her colorful eyes crinkled at the edges in her excitement and her grin split her face. "Spill."

He didn't meet her eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about." But, yeah, he kind of did. Never had he been the best, or most-believable liar, but he thought he was doing okay with the whole secret "more-than-friendship" thing going on. There was no way for him to know whether this slip of control was at his fault, or to Piper's experience in the subject – at least that was what he assumed from the way Annabeth made it sound. Piper must have just understood human interaction better than most people their age.

A gift, Percy would have called it, had it not currently been digging him deeper into a grave he hadn't meant to fall into.

"Oh, don't play dumb with me, Mister," Piper admonished. "You guys wouldn't even _look_ at each other when I first met you – before the party? It's obvious that something happened between you and her."

"No, Piper." Percy shook his head, expression exasperated. "It's not 'obvious' to anyone else. You're the only one who thinks anything suspicious of us."

Piper fluttered her eyelashes. "Well, it's quite obvious to me."

He scoffed. "That's great. Let's stop talking about it now." He sneaked a glance around the huddle of kids, but no one was specifically taking interest in their conversation. Jason and Thalia were playing hacky-sack with a bag of pretzels off to the side, not paying attention to Piper and Percy at all.

Frank and Hazel were sitting next to each other, shoulders brushing by only a small amount as they roasted hot dogs and laughed. Frank's blush was as innocent as Hazel's smile, and Percy couldn't help to feel cool sprigs of jealousy springing up into his lungs. But he didn't know why he felt that way.

For a moment, he allowed himself to wonder why he couldn't view what he had with Annabeth as a relationship. Why, even in his mind, he referred to it as a "more-than-friendship." Frank and Hazel hosted such an air of simplicity and gentle fun that when the icy splash of longing hit Percy that time, he began to understand.

He didn't want to be a bad guy anymore—the asshole everyone had come to know. And this, what he was allowing to happen with Annabeth, was at the top level of _asshole_.

Two years older than her, Frank knew Hazel's limits – or at least assumed what they were, and gave them a wide berth of safe-space. Which was admirable to Percy above anything else he did. The girl was only thirteen from what Thalia had told him this morning, and she simply wasn't interested in a romantic relationship at the time. And Frank...He was okay with that. It was obvious that he was just as content to wait it out, be her friend, until Hazel was ready to weave themselves into a more closely-connected relationship.

Percy thought maybe he should start taking notes. These guys had a lot to teach him.

"Why are you guys hiding anyway?" Piper leaned in closer to his ear, at least submitting to his wish to keep the conversation on the low. "What's the point?"

There was a twitch in his eyebrows and he felt a headache starting to form behind his eyeballs. He dragged his empty palm over his face, the other one still holding his gooey treat. "It's complicated."

Although she didn't mention it, Percy saw the triumphant gleam swirl in Piper's irises. He had just confessed to the very thing he'd been denying all weekend.

"What's complicated about it? You guys are...seeing each other. But aren't telling anyone. Including the people who feel they deserve to know. Not mentioning names—Cough, Thalia and Jason, cough." Piper's smile was small, yet Percy almost felt like she understood. "It sounds pretty simple to me."

"I think..." Percy started, sparing a wayward glance Annabeth's way. She kicked Leo's marshmallow to the ground and it rolled in the dirt. "I think we make up reasons, just to ignore the real problem behind it all. We tell ourselves that no one would approve, but maybe that's not really why we're hiding..."

The more words he let out, the more he confessed, the clearer everything became in his jumbled head. It was strange, how everything untangled itself as soon as the words met open air. "We would tell each other that Thalia wouldn't let it happen and that she'd be angry. And while part of that's true, I think we've been lying to ourselves at the same time."

Piper nodded encouragingly, urging him on like he was a second grader making good progress. He swallowed. "I mean, we know that it would be stupid to get together. I'm leaving come September. This way...While we pretend that we're nothing more than friends, it's almost like we're pretending that we're not making some big mistake. Like... since we're not telling anyone, it's not official. And if it's not official, it's not a real relationship. So it can't end up hurting us in the end. That's the mentality, at least."

After a few moments, "I think."

Blinking, he sat back in a daze. Did he really just come up with that?

"Percy..." Piper was looking at the fire like she would be tested on its exact image and she needed to imprint the flickering colors into her mind. "That was really...insightful."

"I didn't mean it," he muttered, looking away. His cheeks were burning and there was a sinking feeling in his gut. Because he _knew_.

He knew that everything he had just admitted was the truth. And while Percy didn't claim to know much about girls, he had just come as close to reality as he could possibly figure.

"I think you did mean it, Perce."

He didn't reply.

…

"Jesus, Thalia, can you not?"

The girl released a loud snore, something Percy could only compare to the sound of a big rig's horn, and rolled over heavily. From the corner of his eye, he caught the sight of Thalia's arm jerking out over top of Annabeth and pinning her to the ground, causing her to squirm underneath.

"Okay, since when did your arm gain a hundred pounds? _Get off of me_."

Thalia only snored louder.

Percy blinked up at the ceiling of the tent, wanting to laugh at Annabeth's misfortune, but finding it hard when his mind was so full; busy thinking of everything else under the sun. There wasn't enough room to take on any other emotions.

"I give up," Annabeth sighed after minutes of audible struggling. She got up and stepped over the two sleeping siblings to Percy's side of the tent. "Move over," she commanded. It was apparent that she was in no mood to argue.

Stuck between the flimsy wall of the tent and Jason's big body, Percy didn't have a lot of room to move around, but he made do for her. He squeezed in a little closer to Jason and let her settle onto the spot to his left. She huffed as she shoved herself under the spare blanket he was using.

"I'm so tired."

He smiled a little. "I can tell."

When her lips tugged up, Percy thought she might have been amused with herself as well, feeling a little ridiculous even. But he had been listening to the squabble for at least fifteen minutes – he'd like to think that she was justified in being irritated. "Thalia has always been an aggravating sleeper. I feel sorry for the sucker to share a bed with her."

"Agreed," he replied airily, pulling the blankets up around his chin. The tent's opening was slightly unzipped and a little light from the moon spilled in, highlighting a line of white along the covers.

It was quiet for a few minutes, and Percy had let himself believe they would actually sleep; that she wouldn't pester him in a way so undeniably _Annabeth_ that he couldn't even bring himself to be annoyed.

"What's wrong, Percy?"

It was familiar—the slow ache that formed in his chest at the question. It always happened when undivided and careful attention was placed on him. From guidance counselors, to Rachel, to his mother, and now to Annabeth; it wasn't new.

"Nothing's wrong," he tried, but something told him he couldn't play keep-away much longer. "I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

Annabeth had always been better at lying.

"You can tell me," she tried, scooting closer to him. He felt the heat her body provided, and it was more than her temperature that got him warm all over. The tips of his toes tingled and he clenched his hands to keep them under the blanket before they got out and did something stupid like run through her hair or something. "You've been...quiet, you know?"

The longer she inquired, the heavier the feeling in the back of his throat got. It was like someone punched his esophagus. "Annabeth, there's nothing wrong."

"This afternoon," she started, like he hadn't said anything. "You said something about you being a jerk. Are you still thinking about that?"

He wanted it to stop. The emotions building up. It was too much, all the care she was expressing toward him. He couldn't deal with it as a kid, and he certainly couldn't deal with it now. He breathed in deeply, forcing his calm. "I don't know," he admitted, lifting a hand to pinch his skin. "I guess."

There was a shuffling sound, and Percy saw that Annabeth had moved even closer. Her body pressed against his side and he tried his best not to make a big deal out of it.

"Percy, I think you'd feel better if you talked about it."

"I don't know about that."

The silence after that seemed to almost hurt, it was so thick. Annabeth's eyes stayed on him while his kept to the ceiling. She didn't say anything—didn't rush him or force him to talk, but he could tell she was disappointed. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, but when did he _ever_ talk about his feelings? They weren't anyone else's responsibility, and maybe he felt like they were a little silly as well.

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it," she said slowly, like she was still figuring out what she was trying to say. "I just thought I'd let you know that I'm willing to hear it."

Percy's eyes left the fabric of the tent to fall against hers. Her eyes were too soft. Her look was too tender.

"I'm a bad person, Annabeth."

It was only a whisper, but even he could detect the undercurrent of emotion. The slight rasp that clung to his words like flames on dry wood. She winced.

"Why...Why do you think that? You're not."

His eyelids dropped closed and he took in a breath that felt too sharp in his lungs. "I'm just...I've been realizing stuff."

"Like what?"

He struggled for words. "Everyone knows I'm an asshole. _Everyone_ does. Annabeth, I don't _want_ to be that guy anymore."

"You're not," she whispered. "So... you were pretty bad before, but you- you've been learning and stuff. I mean, when you first came, I never would have thought that we'd be in this place, but I see it now. We all do. You're not a bad person, Percy. You just used to _act_ like one."

His mind jumped back to all the ways he could contradict her statement. An "actor" didn't cause real pain. They didn't hurt people the way he did Rachel. The way he did his mom. The way he did her.

He didn't know why he even said anything, but all of the sudden, he couldn't stop. All he could do was watch as he spilled everything from his mind onto her hands, letting her deal with the butt of his issues. Never had he thought he'd tell _anyone_ these things, but once he started, it all pushed out like regurgitation. He told her about Rachel. And his mom. He told her about Gabe.

"I love my mom, but I hate _him_ so much. She's the best person in the world, and he's the worst. Yet somehow, he still gets to be with her."

She was listening carefully, eyes locked on his, never straying. He felt like she'd listen to anything he had to say. And that was...refreshing.

"I...I don't think I've ever told you why I came here."

"You got in trouble, right?" she whispered, mindful of his sleeping cousins behind them.

"Yeah, but I don't think I told you why." Percy sighed. When he tried to explain, he had a hard time finding the words. Like there weren't any good enough to describe how he felt.

"I attacked him. He was talking about my dad—my real one. He said something like, 'If I made a kid like you, I'd run off, too. It's a wonder Sally still puts up with you.' I don't know what happened. I just sort of...snapped. I think I told myself that I was more angry about the fact that he brought up my dad, rather than what he actually said to me. But...it really _did_ hurt."

Only a few seconds later, he felt soft warmth envelop his hand. He realized Annabeth was holding it in her own. She squeezed her eyes shut. "That's terrible, Percy. You don't deserve to treated like that. No one does."

And for the first time, Percy began to think that maybe he _was_ allowed to hurt. He was allowed to hate Gabe, and feel emotions that weren't angry. He was allowed to be sad, without it being considered weak. It wasn't wrong for him to be vulnerable in front of her. He thought that she might have been the only one he could admit this kind of thing to.

It was a raw feeling. To know he had someone.

"Your stepdad doesn't deserve to _be_ a stepdad. Not when he makes you feel like this. You deserve better, because you're _not_ a bad person, Percy."

Something wet and hot tickled his cheek and he swiped it away before she could make a deal of it.

She squeezed his fingers.

There was this surge of appreciation that filtered into him. Annabeth was the only person aside from his mother to ever make him feel like this – like he was important and his feelings mattered. He'd grown up bullied and put down by a person who was supposed to support him. As a kid, he never felt like he was...good enough. Like he was anything worth caring about. She made that feeling - those memories - shrivel up.

As Annabeth's gray eyes looked onto his, gentle and understanding, something jerked in his chest. Almost like it was tugging him closer to her.

He dropped his lips onto hers.

This was different somehow. Slow—he pressed his mouth to hers, moving only the slightest bit. It was like he just wanted to feel their lips together for a few moments, imprint the memory of her hand in his as she shifted closer to his body. It wasn't a familiar feeling that built up inside him. It was a slow burn in the pit of his stomach, aching in his chest versus the usual hot passion they shared.

He wanted to wrap her in his arms and lock her body against his. He wanted to hold her there under the blankets, bathed in moonlight, for hours until his lips were sore and his worries were negligible. He wanted to know why the thick feeling inside of him was dissolving more and more the longer she molded her lips against his softly.

When she sighed into his mouth, he let his free hand travel up, threading into her thick blonde strands. His fingers shook as they pushed through the soft hair over and over; it was cathartic almost, relieving the tension he had been feeling ever since he had made all these new discoveries about himself. There was such a strong urge to just crumble in Annabeth's warmth; forget the world and his problems that wouldn't be retreating no matter how many times she kissed him. He didn't know what to think.

Just as he felt her teeth pull his bottom lip into her mouth, and he was thinking heaven did exist on earth, a loud interruption shocked him out of his daze.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

Startled, the two snapped apart, eyes wide and frantically searching for the cause of disturbance. Jason's sharp voice was like a sudden shock of reality.

As the two sat stock still, waiting with bated breaths and clamming hands for the consequence of what they'd just done, Jason turned over. "Get off my tractor," he muttered into his pillow. "Damn birds..."

He was still asleep.

A breathy, disbelieving chuckle escaped Annabeth's lips. Just a puff of breath announcing her utter relief. Percy was sure he wasn't breathing properly, there couldn't have been enough oxygen getting to his brain judging by how light-headed he felt. But when their eyes met above the covers of the blanket, they...laughed.

Albeit quietly, they shared a moment of complete lightness after the tense fear they'd just faced. They laughed off the serious air around them, trying not to dwell too much on the kiss that most definitely didn't fit within the boundaries of their relationship. Something that most definitely didn't feel like just simple physical attraction.

Annabeth flipped onto her side, facing away from Percy after they had settled, and it only took a moment for him to decide it'd be okay for him to touch her. She wouldn't push him away, and he didn't want her to. He twirled a curl around one of his fingers and watched as her shoulders expanded with each breath.

"Goodnight," Annabeth sighed, scooting back close enough for him to have to resist the urge to rest his head on the junction of her neck and collar bone.

He pressed a kiss to her shoulder instead, sending the same words back.

* * *

**Feathery – Milky Chance**

**(i'll edit this later. rushed the ending to get this out)**

**ok so percy is learning a lot in this chapter. i'll admit it wasn't as fun and lighthearted as i thought it was going to turn out. it was harder to write for some reason, but i'm not really sure why. i hope it wasn't too much, but tell me what you think or about any suggestions you have**

**sorry that this chapter took so long to get out! reasons are missing beta and sorta/kinda busy with school and class changes, but not busy enough to excuse this, so i really am sorry about the wait!**

**about beta: sarah is at boot camp. she won't be back until january, so these chapters are going to suck until then. i miss her a whole lot already. i'll try to keep updating, but the writing is noticeably worse. sorry guys!**

**Bella**


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